Across the Sea
by espertortuga
Summary: Murdoc remembers all the wonderful times he shared with Noodle in Kong, but now that he's on Plastic Beach without the bubbly little guitarist, he realized he needs her now more than ever. Murdoc/Noodle
1. Painful Memories

**Hello, I'm figleaf. Although this is not my first Gorillaz fanfic, it is the first one I have chosen to publish. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Gorillaz don't belong to me, but to Jamie Hewlett, Damon Albarn and their respected parties. Special thanks to Cass for being an awesome source of inspiration for most of the speech in the story ;)**

It was a cold evening on the island when the small gray sub docked on shore. The loud scraping of metal could be heard as the hatch on top was forcefully pushed open and a rather thin, greenish hand suddenly popped out, grasping the edge of the rusty, metallic entrance, the other hand joining its companion in lifting a man out of the shark shaped vessel.

The man's thick irritated grunts could be heard as he pulled his body weight out of the sub, his Cuban heeled boots making a heavy clank as he leaped onto the deck. He adjusted the gray skull and crossbones cap, carrying the same look of defeat on his face he had every night he'd done this. A tall, lanky, blue-haired man peeked up from the hatch and watched as the older man slowly started making his way towards the pale pink plastic structure, his face forming into a grimace as he walked.

"Umm, Mu-Murdoc..." The young blue haired singer began, his voice quavering slightly. The bass player stopped, keeping his eyes on the ground as the singer continued.

"I'm sorry..." was all he could quietly say to the bassist, whose back was still turned from him. The singer felt a rush of guilt when looking at him, even though he had done nothing to cause it. Murdoc turned his head slightly toward the younger lad but didn't meet his hollow black eyes.

"S'olright, face-ache. We'll try again tomorrow," he halfheartedly smiled, but the smile quickly faded.

"She's still alive, for now at least."

There was something about the man's words that caused 2D to shiver.

It was only days ago that the Satanist saw the footage. A young girl wearing stripped stockings in a white and red dress donning a cat mask appeared on what looked to be like a cruise ship. The video hit the news sites by storm, and soon, everyone was talking about the girl in the mask.

He blinked at the screen wondering who this was, a young lass about his guitarist's age, but slightly taller, hair just a tinge darker than hers, but much more aggressive looking than he remembered her.

Murdoc attentively watched as she was fired upon by strangely familiar jets causing the entire ocean liner to explode, but not before she took out a pirate jet or two herself with a Tommy gun.

"Shit, that lovely bird's a tough, pretty 'lil thing, innit she," he admitted, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

As the ocean liner began sinking into the depths of the sea, she suddenly popped up from behind the life boat, gasping for air. The mask had risen up revealing her face finally for a brief few seconds.

"Noodle? NOODLE?" Murdoc nearly fell out of his chair.

"Oh my fucking god, that's her isn't it?" he shrieked, not noticing how hysterical he was acting.

"THAT'S HER! She's alive! And..er...she's armed. But she's ALIVE! NOODLE!"

It was really her, his precious Japanese guitar prodigy had returned at long last! She could finally join up with him and 2D, as well as Russel, who apparently was in the footage too, and they could be the true Gorillaz band once again.

Okay, keep calm, he told himself. His heart raced like crazy and his cheeks were slightly red from the earlier emotional outburst. The bassist took a big swig of rum and tried to light up a fag, which was a difficult task to do with trembling hands.

So many questions raced through his mind. "Where's this footage from? Where's that boat? I need to..." he trailed off. I'll figure it out in my sub, he concluded. Must get Noodle...

He gathered up 2D and Noodle's Cyborg replica to go search for any sign of her.

"Don't worry, Noodle," he mumbled while looking through the submarine periscope, "Some form of help is on the way."

The precious minutes however turned into hours, then into days, with no sign of her or the giant behemoth drummer she rode. His once high spirits were starting to dwindle as each day ended with the same results: defeat.

He felt an ache in his chest, but he was relentless. 2D even started to worry about his wellbeing. He wanted to see Noodle badly too but it looked as though Murdoc was taking the empty handed days harder than he was.

2D fully crept out of the sub, extending a hand to the cybernetic female still remaining below. She firmly clasped his hand which was cold to the touch, and he pulled her out. Her other hand tightly squeezed an octopus-like creature, to which 2D made a disapproving face at, but he pulled her out onto the deck nonetheless, octopus and all.

She did not smile, nor thank him but instead put her attention on the squirming sea creature in her left hand. It looked up at her almost as if it were pleading for its life. Her cold, calculating eyes looked down on it for only a few moments before raising it into the air. Ignoring its pleas and cries of pain as she held her tight grasp on it, she swung the squirming tentacled creature far out into the open sea, and 2D watched in horror as it turned into a little speck in the distance before making an almost unnoticeable splash. He shivered again.

She turned to face the island, showing no signs of remorse on her face. Actually, there were no signs of any emotion really, the singer noted, which scared the wits out of him.

He suddenly snapped out of the trance the incident left him in and quickly realized he was still clutching her mechanical hand which he hastily released. The singer cautiously walked with her towards the front entrance. Murdoc had already long ago disappeared into the lift, missing the disturbingly horrid octopus scene.

The lift made a ping as the doors opened revealing a hallway leading to his room. Though the corridor was dank and musky with the smells of seawater, rotting fish, and stale cigarettes, an eerily calm melody echoed throughout the pathway, putting his mind at ease for the time being.

Murdoc carelessly stepped over the random pieces of junk littering the ground, items that had washed ashore that he thought he might have a use for some time.

He placed his weary hands on the metal helm of the door and turned it, entering his surprisingly tidy room.

Well, it was about as tidy as you could get with Murdoc Niccals, anyway.

By this time the sun had already set, Cyborg had taken 2D back to his underwater chamber with the whale keeping close watch of him despite the azure-haired singer's usual protests.

Murdoc was thinking of calling it a day with a nice hot shower. Although he was pretty very well known for his terrible hygiene habits in the past, the bassist felt a need to wash off the salty grime he could feel covering his sickly green skin every time he left that god-awful plastic structure he built.

He showered and threw on a white vest and shorts. Walking up to the window, he gazed out at the sea, heavily sighing when he saw that it had remained the same as it had always been. No signs of life were to be seen in the distance. As the seagull perched outside put it, "nobody comes, nobody goes."

Picking up a dark brown bottle with a yellow label and strange text he couldn't read from his mini fridge, he bit the cap off with his sharp, jagged teeth and spat the bottle cap out onto the dull gray carpet, taking a long swig of its intoxicatingly foamy contents.

He returned back to the window and watched as a sliver of the moon began to rise above, joining the flickering stars that had begun to appear.

The bassist looked down at the bottle in his hand after taking another drink. His mismatched eyes stared at the Asian symbols and the sudden image of red paper lanterns spruced up in his mind.

He pictured the sliding rice paper doors, adorned with faint bamboo images and the warm soft glow of the room. He chuckled a little when he imagined her crawling into her comically large bed from the floor, despite her diminutive size.

He remembered her scent. How could he forget? It was a light cherry blossom scent, mixed with a little bit honeysuckle and just a hint of... soy sauce?

A smile crept onto his aged lips as he recalled her reaction to the Les Paul he gave her on her birthday. She had planted a kiss on his cheek that day and held onto that guitar a whole week without setting it down, constantly calling him into her room to play him a new riff she learned, or a new melody she thought he would like.

He would sit down on the floor with her and just listen to her play for hours, sometime bringing his own bass so he could join in. They talked about anything and everything that came in their minds. One time, he recalled, she fell asleep on his lap when they were talking about the frogs she found living a hole down by the bunker...

...

...The bunker.

Her distress call suddenly played in his mind. Her haunting voice had echoed throughout the carpark, reaching him just as he was about to enter his Winnebago. He rushed to where the source of the voice was only to discover it coming out of the old radio in the Brian Room.

She warned of a terrible danger lurking in the bowels of Kong, their former home, and she told of demons seeking his soul. Her poorly recepted voice pleaded for them to run from Kong before it was too late.

The Satanist only managed to get one question through to her, asking her where she was. There was a long silence before the young girl's trembling voice answered.

She was in Hell. The signal cut off after that.

Murdoc's stomach churned. He hated thinking about the next part, but the cursed imagery defied his wishes anyway appearing in his brain.

Flashbacks of sputtering lava geysers and lakes of fire overcame his thoughts. Filthy little demons with glowing crimson eyes challenged him along the way, but he fought them all off.

He stayed for months searching for her, growing tired, weary, and sickly. His skin changed hue, his body became malnourished, and his mind grew more and more unstable with each passing day.

He then saw the quivering frame of a young girl. Her deep purple fringe covered her eyes, strands of hair sticking to her face. She looked a bit damaged, physically and mentally, but unscathed. She said nothing as he scooped her up and headed toward the exit.

Oddly enough there were no other demons in sight. He should have taken this very important fact into account, but being in the mental state he was in he didn't realize he had been tricked.

The Satanist climbed out of the hellhole with the girl in his arms and collapsed onto the ground. His tired eyes grew wide as she stood up and a malicious grin formed across her face, letting out a screeching ear-piercing cackle and transforming into a demon.

"NOW THAT YOU ARE OUT, YOU CANNOT RETURN!" the hideous leathery skinned creature bellowed.

"YOUR PRECIOUS GIRL WILL BE TRAPPED IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

A look of horror, then smugness appeared on his bruised bony face. "You just picked the wrong time ta start a fight with Murdoc Faust Niccals," he spat back in disgust.

The demon barred its teeth as its large hand swiped for him but he dodged it. He hurled whatever he could find around him at the demon, but it did nothing, so he lunged for it, biting and tearing at its flesh with his claws and teeth.

Grabbing at the inverted cross around his neck, he held it high in the air and stabbed the long end into its chest causing venomous black blood to ooze out. The Satanist pulled out the cross and the creature fell backwards into the hellhole.

He looked down into the pit and was shocked to see lava slowly rising to the top.

Now he really couldn't go back.

There was no way he could reach her.

"Noodle..."

He snapped out of the nightmare and realized he had drunk all 6 bottles of beer. In a heated rage he threw the empty bottle against the wall and it shattered leaving bits of broken glass, each little piece glimmering against the moonlight.

The bassist swung his arms wildly at the hats on his bed till they were scattered all across the floor.

None of this was right. It was all an illusion he created, everything. The island, the false sense of paradise, the cyborg, the band.

There was no heart left in Gorillaz. He had cast it away with the floating island.

This place had become a prison, just like the Feel Good Inc. tower.

And Noodle was once again the dream of freedom.

Only this time, she was coming to him.


	2. Demon Detour

**Hey there. It's figleaf again! Here's chapter 2. **

**Little note on the title of the story, Across the Sea is a Weezer song about a young Japanese girl who fell in love with the band leader, so she sent him a letter and he curses himself for being so far away from her, so he wrote her that song. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gorillaz**

**

* * *

**

Being denied things in life was something that infuriated the Satanic Bass Slayer, Murdoc Niccals. Especially when he felt those things rightly belonged to him and only him.

"What are you going on about, you twat? Those sodding bastards stole my show! It's my band!" Murdoc ranted over the phone. He paced back and forth in the study, getting strange looks from the squid sitting on the table." They're nothing but a bunch of talentless wanks who I hired to be the bloody backups! They've taken over the whole show!"

"W-where sorry you feel that way Mr. Niccals, but the show had to go on, and you and your bandmates were nowhere to be found," a nervous voice tried to explain to him trying to keep him calm, but Murdoc's intimidating screams were already starting to get to the poor lad.

"I already told you fickhead, some bloody idiot locked the door to the room we were in, and didn't even bother leaving me with as much as a decent outlet to charge up my Cyborg!" the Satanist fumed.

"Well w-w-we can assure you that something like that would never happen again under our watch," the man on the other line trembled, fearing the voice on the phone could somehow rip his insides out.

"Yer damn right it won't 'happen again_'_ cos we're never playing at your shitty little stinkpot of a venue ever again!" he shouted slamming the phone down.

Unfortunately, he realized, it was a cell phone.

"Fucking hell," he yelled aloud, glaring at the cracked screen. "Oi! Cyborg! Get in here!" he demanded, pushing the broom closet intercom button.

Within minutes, the guitarist replica was in the study with Murdoc. He calmed down a bit when she walked in the room in front of him. She looked expressionless at her creator awaiting a command.

"I, er... broke another phone again. I need you to fix it," he mumbled rather awkwardly to her. Her eyes narrowed to the now defective device he extended out to her and she grasped it in her cybernetic hand, carefully examining it.

Murdoc stood there, stupidly looking at her face as she began fiddling with the generic smartphone in her possession.

He was still dumbfounded as to how he managed to flawlessly build an exact duplicate of Noodle.

A tiny screwdriver whirred out from under one of her fingernails and she began to unscrew the back panel.

Well, maybe not exact duplicate.

Before her vocal circuitry got scrambled from getting water in her system, she had Noodle's voice but even so, she didn't speak the same way Noodle did. Her personality (or lack thereof) was drastically different from Noodle too. He gave her commands, she did them, only questioning him when she found an error in his logic or a potential issue that could arise.

She was like a holographic projection of his Noodle right in front of him, only if he reached out and touched her, his hand would only be met with a cold layer of silicon skin that housed circuitry, and a metallic skeletal-like frame inside.

Creating her was no easy task. The bassist had to gas and kidnap some of the worlds top biomedical engineers, as well as a neurologist or two, and some other brainiacs who knew what the hell they were doing. He himself even took a crack at programming her, giving her those signature evil smirks she would bear every once in a while, just for kicks.

He didn't have much to work with though, just a mass of discarded dark purple hair that he found on her brush at Kong, her toothbrush, and an old piece of cloth he lent her with dried blood that she used to wrap her hand in when she cut it on her guitar strings from playing too long.

But he couldn't tell the presses that, that would be too creepy and raise even more suspicions about his mental state. So he told them he gathered the DNA from the El Manaña crash site itself, a task so impossible, so unbelievable, they just had to believe it because they had no other source to draw on, even though he knew they firmly believed he was a sociopathic liar most of the time.

He did come clean on his claim that he rescued Noodle though, when he had nothing to show for it. Showing any signs of weakness was not something he liked doing, like being tricked by a demon into thinking he rescued her.

The bassist originally told them she was rescued, just to get the press, and the authorities off his back, but now that he was in the clear with a ton of illegally obtained money, his own private island, and a fully functioning cybernetic guitarist bodyguard, he not only could tell them whatever the fuck he wanted, without consequence, he could start re-constructing some form of his old band Gorillaz back together.

Could he really call it Gorillaz though?

It was just Murdoc and 2D, save a few high quality guest stars, to try to fill in the gaps. There was no drummer, just a drum machine he programmed to sound like Russel. As for the guitar parts? He couldn't bear to get anyone else to take Noodle's place in the band. Well, he did have Paul Simonon cover some of those during the concerts along with the cyborg, but he thought of them as placeholders until the real Noodle got back. He held onto this little bit of hope that she would come back.

Would she forgive him if she did though? Forgive the aging rock star for the many times he's lost his temper around her, the drunken mistakes he's made over the years, the crazy situations he's gotten the band into? Forgive him for not finding her?

He did resolve to find her after all. He put forth a great deal of effort to find out where she was, searching the Maldives, Japan, Britain, everywhere, even going by what he heard from word of mouth.

He was sure she waited for him. Waiting to hear word of his arrival, listening to the whispers around her. She depended on him, she trusted him, and he failed her in her greatest moment of need.

Never before had he admitted this to anyone else in the band, but the thing he feared most was losing someone that was close to him. He liked to think he was a pretty gruff and tough guy who didn't have the need for loved ones, but that was before he met Noodle. She chiseled at the stubbornly placed barrier around his black little heart little by little.

His therapist once said he had to confront his fears, to face them and cut the chains that held him back. He scoffed at this at first, but the more he thought about, the more it made sense. Feeling uncomfortable with this self realization, he talked to the only mate that could help him get through this, Jamie Hewlett.

Before long the idea of incorporating this into a video soon arose and all plans were put into place. He also used this as a way to tie up some "loose ends" in the form of Wee Jimmy Manson, the ex-hippie who tried to swindle him right from under his nose.

Thus El Manaña became the groundbreaking video that shook the world out of it's zombified slumber and brought it to it's senses. The video was an epic masterpiece. The greatest video they had ever produced. The powerful imagery, the emotion of it all. The grand finale to the Demon Days saga.

Murdoc remembered first talking to Noodle about it.

* * *

They were somewhere in the states finishing up the last leg of the Demon Detour. The band had packed up after the gig and were well on their way to Chicago.

Everyone had gone to sleep in their bunks, except Murdoc surprisingly. He was usually the first one out even before they started climbing aboard the bus from amount of alcohol he'd consumed at the afterparties.

But here he was, sitting up in his bunk, eyes shutting the world out, just smoking a fag, thinking. One could almost mistake him for being in a deep state of mediation, if not for the occasional lifts of his hand to his mouth, inhaling the toxic venom that put his mind at ease.

He felt the cushion from under him shift to the left a little from the weight of his young guitarist as she sat down beside him. He put out the cigarette on the wall and cleared his throat.

"Couldn't get to sleep either, luv?" he asked slowly opening his eyes. She shook her head.

"I have had a lot on my mind," she quietly replied. She scooted closer to where he was and he felt her warm, soothing presence inches away.

Murdoc continued looking ahead and lightly sighed. "Nightmare's been troubling ya again?" he asked, flicking a stray piece of ash off his leg.

"No. It's nothing of the sort. I was thinking about a few ideas I had for the next video," she smiled.

"Oh?" he questioned, giving her a surprised glance. Her smile grew wider when he looked at her innocent little face. The bassist couldn't help but smile himself when he saw his guitarist's charismatic grin, even in the dimly lit bunk.

"By all means, do tell," he insisted. "But I'm gonna 'ave ta tell you now, that I already have an idea m'self." He smirked, expecting her smile to fade away, but it remained ever vigilant.

"I knew you would have one as well Murdoc, since you are our leader and want a say in all of our decisions. After all, It was I who neglected to tell you about my plans for the Dare video," she admitted, "and that's why I wanted to talk to you about my ideas beforehand."

Murdoc was a little taken aback. "Luv, the video for Dare was superb! It really knocked my socks off," he exclaimed, raising his hands slightly for emphasis. "I just wanted to, you know, be more involved in making it. Or even being told when the bloody filming began," he mumbled the last part, looking away.

What he would have given to see Noodle dancing like that in person. Sliding back and forth, hopping up and down, shaking her cute little... He quickly banished the thought.

Noodle frowned, looking down at her feet. "Had I known it would have hurt you the way it did, I would have talked to you about it before," she admitted. "It was foolish of me not to take you or the others feelings into accommodation."

Murdoc wasn't exactly sure of what to say. "Luv," he began, "you didn't hurt me, maybe I was just a little pissed at the time, yeh, but that video ended up being a real smasher, I tell you wot. A real club banger! You did say it was your song, eh?" he chuckled, amused at the irony that he was letting her get away with something that he normally would have killed anyone else if they tried to pull the same thing, but not Noodle.

He was relieved when the smile suddenly appeared again, her eyes beaming happily on his. She leaned on him, snuggling at his side and as if reading his mind, jokingly asked, "You were just jealous that Shaun got to watch me dance all day long, weren't you?"

Murdoc thanked Satan it was dark at the time and she wasn't looking at his face, other wise she would have seen him madly blushing like a teenage boy getting his first kiss. Not that she needed to since she could hear his heart beating faster through the gray fabric of his shirt.

"To tell you the truth I.. ah, was planning on making the next video all about you, luv" he confessed.

Her dark violet head rose and looked at him, confused.

"You... want me to star in a video again? By myself?" she asked, her emerald eyes growing wide.

"What would I be doing?" she pressed on for answers.

"Well, it's gonna be on the floating island again," he continued. "...and we're...uh," he gulped. "...we're bringing back the choppers..." he mumbled in a low voice. He avioded her eyes.

How the hell was he gonna tell her the next part without giving himself away? Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead as he searched his mind for a way of explaining this to Noodle.

A genuine look of concern now covered her face. She sensed he was alarmed, but at what? What were the helicopters going to do?

"Murdoc..." she whispered, her soft fragile voice quivering. She looked almost frightened at what he was about to say.

Oh God, he had to tell her now. There was no holding back. I mean she's a smart cookie, he thought, she would've figured out his feelings sooner or later. And that face! Lookit 'er! The poor thing's about to burst into tears if I don't do somethin' now!

He bit his bottom lip and he took her hands in his. His black and red eyes twinkled like distant stars, meeting her emerald colored jewels. The bassist's lips parted to speak.

But before he even began, she suddenly interrupted the moment. "I trust that whatever you have planned in the video will no doubt be a wise move on behalf of the band's future, and I promise I will do my very best at it. You have my word as your guitarist and as your friend," she replied confidently. She wrapped her arms around him tenderly and held him in a tight hug.

She was so dedicated, so loyal to him. In the back of his mind he figured she knew what was going through his head and she raced to help him not to do something he would later regret.

Would he really regret it, though?

Murdoc was so completely astonished that she allowed him to have this outlet out of his rushed confession, that he almost forgot to embrace her back. He held onto her warm body tightly for a long time. The faint hum of the vehicle and his beating heart caused her to drift to sleep on his chest. He ran his hand over her delicate porcelain cheek as she softly exhaled.

Not just yet, he told himself.


	3. That Shattered Feeling

**Chapter 3**

**figleaf again, sorry if this chapter gets really dark and depressing, but I was in a sort of writing frenzy and couldn't stop. Plus there's more 2D innit :D Poor 'lil Stupot**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'Rillaz**

**

* * *

**

"Were ya eva' in luv, Muh-doc?" 2D suddenly asked from the couch.

Murdoc's face shot up at the singer from the amp on the floor he was fiddling with a mixture of shock and revulsion from the fact that he was being asked this by his frontman. "Wot the hell are you going on about now, half-wit," he spat, bringing himself up.

2D ran a hand through his spiky hair, ruffling it up a bit while looking down at the sheets of yellow tattered paper in his other hand. He began shuffling through the notes reading the barely legible scrawl written on them, his fractured eyes now caught on the few select strings of words he was searching for. He scratched his head in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Wull, it's just that right 'ere it's all talkin' about a shattered feelin' you're havin' and that you're sorry 'bout summfin' an wanna be forgiven. An 'en it starts talkin' bout luv or summfink. Iss like a luv song, is wot it is."

Murdoc growled at the singer and gave him a death glare, but the oblivious singer continued, unaware of the bassist's furious reaction.

"I woulda neva' known ya to write a luv song in all mah years knowin' ya, Muds. 'Specially not one this... erm, roman'ic," the blue haired man concluded. "Tas why I wos wonderin', is all."

Despite the compliment that now flew over the Satanist's head like Cortez dodging an empty beer can, he gritted his teeth in irritation and stormed his way to the singer, causing him too yelp out and cower down into the seat, shielding his face with the sheet music. He swung a fist at his dented head.

"Aaargh! Flippin... Muh-doc!" he cried out.

"You ain't gettn' paid ta question it, face-ache, yer just suppose ta sing it," He growled.

"But you 'aven't paid me nuffin!" the clueless, pretty-boy whined, clutching the part of his head that throbbed in pain.

"Ahoo. Tha's right. Hrmhmhm," the Satanist chortled with a wicked grin.

"Come on Muds, 'oo is she? Tell me!" 2D pleaded, seeming to already forget the injury.

Murdoc snorted and plopped down next to him on the couch, arms folded.

"You 'ad to 'ave experienced summfin' ta do wif luv ta a come up wif these lyrics," he added.

"Ehh, lay off already, would ya?" Murdoc grumbled, annoyed at the sudden intrusion onto his private life. "Besides... I 'avent seen 'er in years. Pro'lly dead or somethin' anyway," he muttered, feigning disinterest in the matter.

2D gave him a look of sympathy. He wondered how much of his life was spent with this mystery girl, what she looked like, if she loved him back. The very idea of someone actually being _in love_ with Murdoc perplexed his daft little mind. He'd never really seen him with a girlfriend before, now that he thought about it. It was always flings and casual sex from groupies, and he seemed content with just that. In fact, the sodding bastard adored it. The attention, the fame, the feeling of empowerment over women as a sex symbol. 2D could hardly believe the soulless Satanist had a soft spot for anyone, let alone love for this one particular girl he dedicated a song to.

He knew the bassist was already irritated with his prodding, but he just had to know.

"Did she love ya back, Muds?" he asked.

An unexpected flash of loneliness appeared on his face as he mulled over the question, taking 2D by surprise. He tried to hide it behind a frown.

The bassist finally gave into his band mate's meddling with a sigh of defeat, unfolding his arms. "Since you won't stop buggin' me about it, Dullard. I'll tell you." He said in a tone that the singer could only describe as melancholy. He stirred in his seat before continuing, 2D eagerly awaiting to hear the rest.

"This girl, she was the world ta me, I jus' didn't see it at the time. I know she trusted me, but I didn't deserve 'er trust. God, I was so stupid for letting her think that. An' 'en I lost her cos of somethin' I did..." The bassist's eyes stared off into nothingness, his face turning pale.

Stuart listened intently as the older man sighed again, unsure if he should continue.

"Wot.. did you do?" he dared to ask after a brief moment. He feared he would stike him again in a fit of anger, but the weary chartreuse skinned satanist just stayed lost in his own thoughts.

"Somethin' real bad, though it wasn't my intention for 'er ta get caught up in it! It just sort of 'appened, and thing's just fell apart after that. She did somethin' for me, a huge favor, but I lost track of 'er before I could return the favor. The worst part of it all's not knowin' if she'll ever forgive me..."

2D made a small whimper and both men sat there, a heavy silence filling the room. It was really unusual, maybe a little awkward to open up to 2D, yet he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

The amount of sincerity in the bassist's words made the younger man slightly rethink the way he thought about him, yet Murdoc was always some sort of a mystery. He was very unpredictable during the most unexpected times.

Murdoc all of a sudden shot up from his seat, startling the young singer out of his evaluation of him.

"Well enough of that ol' rubbish, start packing all this equipment into th' sub, you lazy sod! We've got a very long tour ahead of us in the states, and I don't want you mucking it up with your shenanigans." He returned to the same amp from before, unhooking all the wires on one swift motion and tread out the door into the study with a quickened pace. 2D watched from his seat the door slowly closing shut behind him and quickly caught a glimpse of the bassist on the other side stopping. His mind seemed to be heavy in thought.

* * *

It was about 11:45 am when they had packed everything they needed for the tour into the submarine. Murdoc couldn't help but feel a little insecure about leaving his home of Plastic Beach, even with the tightest security measures in place and with the fact that it was the furthest point from any landmass making it extremely difficult, if not, impossible for anyone to reach it but him, with of course, the exception of those bloody pirates after his arse. The last thing he would want was coming home to the pile of rubbish he started out with.

Then the thought jolted into his mind. The same thought that unanticipatingly burst into his head every single time he set foot off the island. It didn't matter if it was just to go sail out on the Orka to go fishing, that thought latched onto his brain forcing him to dwell on it.

_What if she appeared._

What if she suddenly showed up literally out of the blue looking for him and he was off in some sleazy club in New York, shit-faced, flirting with some Cameron Diaz look-alike trying to impress her with free backstage entrance to his Madison Square gig, while _she _was there, pulling up on shore, only to be met with a cold plastic husk of an island vacant of his presence, laughing at her for even thinking she could reach him; taunting her with it's faux beauty masking an exuberant pile of filth and refuse collected from factories all over the planet pumping their waste into the sea to form some kind of sick, twisted, almost obscene illusion of paradise, one that she wanted no part of.

Surely she would be disgusted with it the moment she laid her eyes on it, more so with him for having built such a terribly shallow place devoid of any real sense of a natural essence or purity.

She would wonder what the hell she was doing there in such a desolate place, seeking out the very unstable man who made her go through hell because of his thirst for superiority over all. A grotesque form of what was once a human being at one point, clamoring at the very first chance of fame he could reach his filthy, egotistically greedy hands on. Going even as far as replacing her position in the band, _her family_, with a shanty copy made with the stolen remnants of her past self in order to fulfill his wicked desire to mock her, even after her presumed death.

There was absolutely no way she would ever see him as she once did. A friend? Family? What was he to her? The poor man's excuse for a dead beat dad, perhaps. A surly drunk with a sick need to have her shelved within his reach with the other women, just waiting to fulfill his own disgusting sexual desires when she was ripe for the picking?

For all he knew, she loathed him for what he did to her. He sacrificed her innocence, having her "take one for the team," as he put it to create a pseudo message to the world about keeping your hopes dreams alive, even after you're gone while in reality, he finally was able to once and for all get his revenge on the brat who _stole _his second album, right from under his crimped nose. Death was only a fitting punishment for crossing him, and this was his way of showing the world that no one ever dared cross Murdoc Nicalls.

_No_.

_This wasn't true_.

He loved her. He would never use her like that. She meant more to him than every bottle of booze he'd drunk, every pack of Lucky Lungs he soiled his health with, and every woman he had ever slept with combined. Even more than the very fame he sold his own soul for. She knew that. He didn't need to say it, she understood.

_Stop fighting it! She hates you for what you did! They all do!_

The thoughts seemed to be consuming his brain as though from a darker, sinister source. He almost couldn't handle it, mentally fighting them as they ripped apart his emotions and mutilated them, fashioning them into weapons used against him. It swept through him like a dark force encompassing him, clasping his neck, choking him.

Murdoc fell to his knees clutching his head. Eyes shut tight, teeth gritted as his mind screamed "_go away._" This had happened before to him, but never had it been to this extreme, consuming him. 2D ran to him, his mouth moving in a panicked frenzy, but his voice came out distorted, like a slow motion recording played backwards. He could no longer sense the outside world, save muffled cries of his band mate. Before he felt as though his entire being were ripped from his body, a clear noise blasted through the torment. The sound of a gunshot.

...

Cyborg fired.

...

Reality came flooding back instantly as his mental assassin withdrew his clutches, causing him crash onto the ground in a fit of short unsteady gasps as oxygen filled his lungs again. His eyes darted wildly around from the ground and spotted a sobbing blue haired figure shivering uncontrollably next to him, his eyes heavy with tears.

"Wh-wh, whu...wot..." 2D stuttered, voice trembling.

"Wot the fuck wos that _fing_?" He finally choked out in sobs. Murdoc lay there gasping, clutching his rapid beating heart, the singer looking down on him in concern.

"Muh-doc! Please, be okay! I dunno wot that black fing wos, but I fink it wos trying to kill you," 2D wailed.

Able to regain a normal breathing pattern, Murdoc slowly began to stagger to his feet, feeling very unsettled about what he had just endured. 2D grabbed a hold of his arm and helped him up all the way, his palms cold and sweaty. Murdoc grasped the lanky man's shoulder, steadying himself, and he mumbled something.

"Is... 'e gone?" he breathed out in almost a whisper to the trembling man supporting him.

"That fing... Cyborg tried 'a blast it away wif 'er gun, but it got away," he choked out.

"Wot...who was it?"

Murdoc let out a weak growl, then a pained cough.

"You remember that ol' sea cow? That wos the cretin who took 'im down."


	4. My Heart is Frozen

**My Heart Is Frozen**

**Thank you for reading, don't forget to comment!  
**

**

* * *

**

The air suddenly got cold in the room. Very cold, almost as though someone flung open a window in the dead of winter, but miraculously in only one spot before immediately dissipating.

He knew exactly what it was.

His heart pumped his chilling blood quickly and his eyes darted from left to right, scanning past the instruments strewn out on the floor and tables for the dark entity to appear. Cyborg tightly clutched her gun behind him, both were back to back waiting for it to show any signs of weakness. The only sounds in the room were Murdoc's raspy breathing and the silent hum of Cyborg's cooling fan. "Don't let 'im get away," he hissed to her.

Just then a crash made him jump, and Cyborg reacted instantly with gunfire, shooting out a window, nicking the edge of the old Sacrasmo machine. The Satanist turned just in time to see swirling onyx shadow disappear into the study. They hurried after it only catching a glimpse of the tattered black clothes strewn on the figure before it flew up the stairs. He wasted no time sprinting up the staircase, hopping over the missing step, and opening the hatch above.

There stood before him the entity made up of the dark vapors of hell itself, the Boogieman. The creature stood facing away toward the expansive sea, its soulless, goggled eyes fixated on something in the distance.

The bassist cautiously peered with wide eyes at the veins pulsating on the back of the creature's sickly teal head, then without giving it much more thought swung open the hatch completely, making a loud clanging sound that immediately grabbed the gas-masked demon's attention away from the sea. Its head immediately swung around to the growling man behind it who in turn climbed further up to it's level, his mismatched eyes now seething with anger.

"End o' the line, ya creepy bastard," he growled.

Cyborg Noodle rose up from behind him, her once expressionless pallet twisting into a malicious grin as she turned her two machine guns to the dark monster, firing wildly. The Boogieman hissed angrily at the cyborg and leaped off the top of the building onto the artificial grass below, shots continuing to ring around it.

Murdoc watched as the cretin made a desperate attempt to shield itself with the band's beloved Pazuzu statue, but even the king of the wind demons was not enough to make Murdoc want her to hold her fire. Her bullets tore through the large wings of the icon, crumbling bits tumbling down the ledge along with the Boogieman, who plummeted into the waters below.

The bassist watched as the masked demon descended into the water, reemerging on a pirate ship that unbeknownst to him, had been circling the island for quite some time. Before he could even begin to comprehend what the ship was doing there the cloaked figure strenuously raised its gloved hand toward where he was.

He knew what this meant, but still he froze.

Cyborg, knowing that it was futile to stay up there with her master, flew down the stairs, her primary mission statement flashing red in the corner of her viewing perspective: "Protect Murdoc Niccals Master Bass Player... Gorillaz... God." She knew she had to get closer to her target.

The force overtaking his mind this time was different. Suppressed memories he never knew existed from his subconscious emerged from swirling plumes of smoke, running through his mind like a waking dream. He felt as though he were there, yet looking on from a detached body and he felt a sudden wave of deja vu as the smoke began to clear out revealing four shadowed figures in the distance.

Conquest. War. Famine. Death.

The horsemen swept through the land viciously and without mercy, their bodies decaying along with the wrath they brought. The clomping of horse hooves was all that could be heard fading away in the distance as the smoke cleared. It was all to real to him. The dust began to settle enough for Murdoc to see a lone figure approaching, which he quickly realized was the Boogieman himself. Half-forgotten memories seemed to come together like a jigsaw when he saw the final figure approach.

A heavily cloaked man in a cape with a ten gallon hat and walking stick, materialized from out out nowhere, like some desperado out of the old American west. The dark enigmatic man moved brashly toward the Boogieman, who sat above his burro companion. The wind blew harshly, disrupting the speech exchanged between the two, but Murdoc already knew what was said and what was going to transpire. A deal was made between the two. He didn't need to see the rest because he lived it. The man's head rose, making his face clear for the world to see, letting out a sinister cackle. Murdoc, now freed of his enemy's clutched burst into a fit of maniacal laughter as the memories became all too clear to him.

So this was what it was all about. He couldn't help but let out a grisly tongued grin through his jagged teeth as he experienced his past life coming back to him.

The Boogieman's cold stare met with Murdoc's wicked grin, a burning sense of indignation and fury boiling through the leathery skeletal creature. It tried to reason with him the only way it could, but he instead laughed it off, mocking it.

No longer being able to hold its rage any longer, the furious demon's thin bony arms rose in the air called forth upon the souls of some strangely familiar pirates, some awaking in a zombie like state, while others with a fierce intense look of anger for being pulled away from where they were.

Murdoc still felt confident, him being all the way on top of his glorious plastic fortress while they being all the way on a little ship in the sea. He let out a throaty laugh.

"Is that really the best you can do, mate?" he hollered to the Boogieman, knowing full well it couldn't hear him. He snickered again. "You make this all to easy!" the Satanist grinned treacherously.

His overconfidence got the best of him however when in one last defying move, the creature in an almost holy pose, proudly summoned zombie manned planes after him, firing madly toward the Satanist.

_Oh shit._

_Shit!_

"Sh-," but his words were cut off by the eruption of gunfire on the deck. "Oh God," he screamed, and a sudden flash appeared in his mind.

A smoldering windmill and a terrified girl screaming for dear life. It hit him harder than any of those bullets would ever have.

_Sweet Jesus! Is this what Noodle had to go through? Holy fuck!_

He felt a pang of guilt, but before his thought's could get a firm grasp of his actions though, his rational side kicked in full gear and he made the plunged down the staircase, dodging the bullets. Pieces of ceiling began to crumble as he hurtled onto the desk, knocking a very surprised squid straight off onto the floor.

He ducked under the desk as bullets rained from the ceiling, bursting through the windows with great force. He squeezing his eyes and threw his hands over his ears, the ringing blasts being louder than the loudest concert he'd ever been to. Suddenly, the firing stopped. One black eye cracked open, then the other red and he crawled out from under the desk to survey his surroundings.

The globe with his secret stash of rum exploded all over the floor, home theater destroyed, aquarium fish flopped on the ground around shattered glass, most of which came from the windows, which had been completely knocked out. The whole room was ruined, much of which beyond repair. Murdoc went from fear to shock, then rage as he stepped through the shambles of his beloved home. He took a few impassioned steps forward toward the Groove Bones Selecta player to check on the damage then stopped when he felt something that made the color drain from his face.

He felt the floor move.

Slowly at first, then he heard the sickeningly loud sound of the metal support beams holding up the plastic giving out quickly and everything in the room started to slide out the big gaping ledge that was the window. He scrambled over things to the bookshelf, frantically grabbing hold of "The Bastard," causing the shelf to swing open and he dove into the staircase, dust and rubble following behind him.

He ran for what seemed like an eternity until he finally reached his lair. Luckily, he managed to avoid breathing in any of the dust cloud that followed behind as he shut the door behind him. He sat against the door, panting. He was pretty, no really pissed off at himself for acting like a coward, more so than he was at the Boogieman himself. He could feel the rumbling of a war being waged above him on the island and quickly decided to go check the monitors. The study was still there, but most if not all that was in there had fallen out into the shore.

"Fuck," he mumbled. He narrowed his eyes to his room. No damage. He sighed in relief, then figured he should take a peek at 2D's room, something he rarely did since it involved opening another program and activating the camera, not to mention he hated having to be reminded he was on this island with the dent-head.

He heard another loud boom from above almost knocking him off his feet, but he immediately brushed it off. The camera for his room finally fully activated and the montior switched over to a very frantic 2D practically having a heart attack with his cheeky little clown mask strapped over his face. Bits of the ceiling fell around him as he squeezed the sides of his head, shaking it back and forth vigorously, only stopping to spaz out when a piece of debris fell on him. The vocalist suddenly sloshed to the door and pounded on it with both fists screaming.

Wait, sloshed?

That was when he noticed why he was sloshing. 2D was in about a foot of rising water.

Murdoc didn't know whether to be worried or furious, so he went with the latter, cursing the singer while hastily grabbing the Plastic Beach book from the podeum as well as his gun from under the desk. If he was gonna save the dullard, he'd at least want to be sure he did it in style, with his book safe of course. He rushed over to a panel on the wall and pressed his palm on it, activating a sensor that beeped twice, causing a passage to open up about two feet tall in front of him. He hunched over, crawling into the passage and pressed a button on the faded panel in front of him marked "B2." The door shut behind him and the lift began to rise.

He was pretty grateful he came up with the idea of installing a secret lift in his secret layer, but not so much when the power went out, rendering it useless. The lift stopped and the door opened into the hallway where 2D's room was. He crawled out once more and it shut behind him, blending in with the steel wall. The bassist hurried to the door, undid the locks, and swung open the door, causing a rush of water to his feet as well as the blue haired boy crashing down on him, sending them both to the ground with a splash.

Well, so much for style.

"Oi! Git 'offa me!" Murdoc growled, pushing off the singer with the large book. 2D blindly looked up at him through the eyehole-less mask and asked, "Muds? Izzat you?" He growled louder and ripped the mask of the clueless singer's face.

"'Course it's me, ya idiot! Now shut up and follow me!" Stuart obeyed and they ran to the normal lift. Even during this crisis, Murdoc didn't want to give away that he had a camouflaged door to a lift that lead to his secret layer. He heard another boom outside and faintly heard gunfire as the door closed.

"The whale!" 2D unexpectedly shrieked, startling Murdoc who shot him a glare. "Wot?"

"The whales gone." he mumbled in a low voice, which shot up high again, "'E was after me blud an' he flew backwards like a reverse rocket or summfink!"

Murdoc gave him a look like the singer had gone completely mental. "Reverse rocket? Th' bloody hell are you talking about? Have you gone completely daft?"

"There wos a hand in th' water, Muds! A huuuuge one, like this!" 2D emphasized by holding out his own hands far apart. Murdoc rolled his eyes and smacked him upside the head. "For th' love of...just... just shut up or I'll kill you before the bullets out there do, you blithering idiot!"

"Bullets _out there_?" he gulped. Just then the door opened to the front entrance and Murdoc raced past a tiny man on a white suit, 2D following suite but looking back. "Wot about 'im?" he asked as they ran. "Forget 'im!" Murdoc yelled back rushing outside. "The lift! The lift boss!" the man yelled out happily as the two jolted away.

The two men rushed down the stairs and Murdoc came to a sudden halt, causing 2D to smash into him and fall back. Murdoc stood there frozen, not realizing the blue haired man had caused the book to fall out of his hands.

"Oof! Sorry, Murdoc. Dinnt know we wos stoppin'," 2D apologized, getting up. "Aye, Muds, wots wrong wi-" 2D gasped when he saw what caught Murdoc's attention.

Amongst the people in front of them were Cyborg Noodle, Snoop with a spear gun, Gruff Rhys, Posdnuos and the rest of De La Soul .

But looming over all of them, an oversized angered drummer glaring down at the tiny people.

"Russ?" 2D squeaked falling back on the ground in shock.

The dark, ghostly-eyed man positioned himself on his crossed arms and his mouth slowly began to pry open from within. Everyone stood paralyzed, no one dared move. Thin limbs pushed the mouth agape, and all witnessed what emerged.

She calmly pulled up the mask concealing her face and stared straight at him, past the replica, and past the armed men.

Murdoc didn't breathe.


	5. Clash and Conflict

**Chapter 5:**

**Clash and Conflict**

* * *

Noodle's eyes locked onto his with such an intense ferocity that he got goose bumps trickled up his spine. Before he could say or do anything, she quickly turned her attention to her duplicate and scowled venomously.

He knew this wasn't going to end well.

Still grasping the top of her mask, she pulled it down and briskly, hiding her face, and hopped down onto the sand below. Everyone's attention was on her alone, but she didn't seem to notice. The twenty year old calmly walked up to the doppelganger, who in return raised her weapons at her, though she (or it, as it was known as, in Noodle's mind) was unsure of what it was doing was right.

She stopped a few feet short of the Cyborg, right until the barrel of the gun was a mere inch away from her chest. Murdoc desperately wanted defend her from his creation, even though he did program it in the unlikely event of her return not to hurt her. He wanted to yell something to Noodle about how glad he was she had returned, but his voice was caught in his throat. 2D sat there with his mouth hanging open in shock, his hollow eyes darting from Russel to Noodle, back to Cyborg. He gulped.

Suddenly the tense moment was shattered when Noodle quickly snatched the gun from the Cyborg's mechanical hands, too quick for it to process what had happened, and she fired into the sky.

"Everyone, GET DOWN!" Russel's booming voice ordered. Noodle, still standing, fired on the planes in the sky.

"I don't know what you are," she yelled behind the mask to the Cyborg, still firing, "but I suggest you start shooting before we all get killed!" She turned back to the others there who had weapons. "That goes for you too!"

A trail of shots raced toward her and she leaped out of it's path, the bullets decimating a nearby palm tree. Murdoc's team of collaborators shot into the air with her and Cyborg did as well. Murdoc and 2D began to rush where Noodle was but a blast in the sand in front of them caused them to fall back.

"Noodle!" He finally yelled out. She turned to where they were at, her expression a mystery to him behind the mask. A large pinkish-orange rock, became dislodged from above them by one of the blasts and started falling where they stood. "Look out!" she shouted, running towards them, but she was too far away. They saw the boulder hurtling toward them and panicked. "No!" Noodle cried out.

Suddenly there was a blast and the bolder shattered into dust and pebbles on them. 2D and Murdoc coughed violently as the dust began to settle around them. Noodle tried to rush over to them but stopped when she heard something strangley familiar yet foreign to her.

"Master-Murdoc-Gorillaz!" the voice stated in a monotone feminine voice. "Are *bzzt* injured?" It made a clicking sound as it ran and before Noodle knew it was already by his side pulling him to his feet. Murdoc let out a slightly painful groan and ruffled some of the dust from his thick black hair. 2D, brushing dirt off his body, helped himself up slightly annoyed, glaring at the Cyborg. "Wh-wot..." Murdoc mumbled. "I was ab*crrrk* destroy threat *bzzrt* gun Murdoc Sir." the Cyborg answered with a malfunctioning vocal emitter. "Primary *click* -ission object-objective: Protect *Mrzzzk* Niccals."

"Protect Murdoc Niccals? Primary mission objective?" He suddenly heard the same voice say, but lighter and with confusion. He quickly realized the real source was coming from further away though. He turned and saw Noodle standing not too far from where they were. "Noodle," he choked out, reaching his arm out to her. She took a few steps back. "What... what kind of joke is this..." she asked, unsure of their motives behind this. Of _it's_ motives.

"Noodle-luv, I can explain everythin'," he pleaded, still reaching out his hand. He began to walk toward her but she turned around. "Never mind now. There are more important things to take care of now," she scoffed and rushed of to where Russel was trying to fight off the final jet.

"Should we go after-" 2D started saying, but Murdoc had already left him behind. Cyborg was already gone too. "Uh, Oh kay then."

Russel's colossal hand swung to where the jet was, frustrated that he couldn't get any higher to reach it without tipping over the whole island. "Damn," he murmured, but to everyone else sounded like a roar. "Russel!" The young guitarist yelled out below to the giant. "I think I can get a good shot at him if you hold me out on your hand!" The drummer frowned at the idea of putting Noodle directly in the middle of the action, but gave in regardless, knowing she wasn't a child anymore.

"Alright, climb on!" he fretted, lowering his hand. Noodle gracefully hoped aboard and waited patiently with the Cyborg's gun in her hands, ready to fire at any moment.

As he rose the tiny girl on his palm into the air he heard the approaching sound of gasping and wheezing as Murdoc ran up from behind. "And just what the fuck do ya want, cracka-ass?" he grimaced to the tiny figure below. Murdoc tried to catch his breath and clutched his chest "Nuh... Nood..." he wheezed.

"Man, you gotta quit smokin' or somthin'. Ya look like a damn zombie you're so green," he scolded. "Yeh, and 'ello to you too lard ass," he finally got out. "Been a while since I've seen ya mate, but listen, now's not the time, I've got to have a word with Noodle there," he attempted to climb up the side of his green and white shirt but was plucked from it by the other giant hand. "Now wait just a damn minute," he growled. Murdoc squirmed in his hand but Russel's grip got tighter around him. "Da hell do you want with Noods, huh?" Murdoc, now powerless over the drummer's grip, finally surrendered and went limp with an irate grumble, still without an answer.

"She's too busy tryin' to save everyone, though I don't know why she should even botha' savin' yo stupid ass right now," he glared down at him. "You made a fuckin' robot like her! She's pissed!" he roared, getting even more upset. "Not only that fool, you replaced me with a goddamn drum machine and made a new fuckin' record without us!" He was fuming now. Murdoc winced when he started losing the feeling in his arms and legs. "Lemme go already!" he grunted.

Russel threw him hard into the sand headfirst. He struggled to his feet groaning and spitting out the horribly tasting plastic sand particles from his mouth. "And to top it all off, ya went out and stole my friend's goddamn record shack where I worked! The fuck, man? Seriously?" The large man gestured a thick dark finger toward "Big Rick Black's Record Shack" near the pier. Murdoc's eyes followed, then looked back at Russel's infuriated white eyes.

"Listen mate, about that, I tried ta get you and Noodle back for the new album, man! I looked for Noods, that was a no go, so I called yer phone, and ya changed your number so I did the only thing I could think of ta get you back! Steal your sodding shack and hope that'll convince ya ta go lookin' for it! And 'ere ya are! Though my original plan was ta have you here in time ta do the album, you took your sweet arse time and I had ta get that drum machine, ya know?" Murdoc laughed nervously. Russel growled. "I should just squash you like a-"

"Would you two knock it off, we're in the middle of fighting in a war here, and all you two are doing is arguing about nonsense!" they heard from above. Both looked up and saw Noodle glaring down momentarily before firing at the zombie jet again. "Noodle!" Murdoc yelled up at her, but the blasts from her gun drowned him out.

"Russ! Russ! Lemme go up there with her! I gotta gun too, see?" Murdoc pleaded, holding up his own handgun. Russel laughed at the little green man's pathetic attempt to convince him then glared at him again. "Look, I dunno what chu have planned Muds, but the sista's right, we got bigger fish ta fry," he said pointing to the pirate ship getting closer to the island. Murdoc's gaze went to where his finger was pointing and he felt a sinking feeling as he saw the ghostly figures on the ship preparing to fire a cannon.

"Oh..."

"They're heeere! They're on the island!" 2D came screaming. "They're heeee-OOF!" he ran into the palm tree near the two band mates. Murdoc rolled his eyes. "Git up ya bloody coward, who's here?" Murdoc asked grabbing his shoulders from the ground. "Pirates! They're comin' in on boats from the pirate ship on the other side of the island! Gahh!" Murdoc threw him back down and started running to where they were. "Don't just sit there moron! Go get Snoop and the others ta 'elp me fight 'em off!" he ordered, dashing away. "Dammit, Noodle's just gonna have to wait," he mumbled to himself.

He arrived in front of the jetty to find a small boat docked onshore, but no sign of it's former inhabitants. Murdoc's black and red eyes scanned the shore for any sign of activity when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. "Aye, Muds! Ya'll ready ta kick some demon ass back to the nethaworld?" Snoop's smooth, laid-back voice asked from behind him. Murdoc turned around to find him holding up a harpoon, along with a few members of De La Soul, and Gruff Rhys, all armed and ready to fight.

"You better believe it, Snoop my boy," Murdoc smirked. "Hell yeah, let's do this thing!" Maseo roared holding out his tiny pistol. "Wait, over there!" Gruff pointed. A figure emerged from behind the rock where he pointed that sent chills down their spines. "Uuuuugh," it groaned. It trudged forth like a zombie and started limping towards them. Snoop raised his harpoon at it. "Wait!" Murdoc shouted. "Muds, what're ya doing dawg?" he yelled. Murdoc ran up to it, careful not to get too close.

"Paul? Paul, that's you isn't it?" he asked the ghostly figure. "Why the bloody hell are ya workin' for that creep on th' boat?" The Clash member slowly brought up his hands, and Murdoc paused. "Paul?" He started choking the Satanist with both hands now. Murdoc struggled to free himself from the other bassist's grip.

A shot rang out and with a terrible screech, the figure vaporized into smoke. Murdoc fell to the floor clutching his throat and gasping for air. "That definitely wasn't Paul," Gruff remarked, gun still smoking from the shot. "Say what, man?" Snoop asked the Super Furry Animals singer. Murdoc got up from the floor. "They appear to be conjured up illusions created in the form of our other friends of the Plastic Beach album, " Gruff answered. He wipped his gun back into the holster on his back.

"But then where's the real ones?" Posdnuos asked. Gruff shrugged. "This shit just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Snoop mumbled. "Ya don't 'ave ta tell me that twice, mate," Murdoc mentioned.

"Master-Murdoc, Sir!"

Murdoc turned to see his creation running towards him. "Yes, wot is it?" he asked. He could almost feel a tinge of regret for having built it when he looked at it's face, resembling the one person he'd yearned for, but now was probably the most useful it would ever be to him. "Sir, permission *cackle* a plan I've devised," it buzzed. This might be interesting, he thought. "Go on," he insisted. The Cyborg twitched and Murdoc noticed fluid leaking out of its eye and mouth. That can't be good, he noted. "P-P-Perhaps we can *bzzt* destroy the ship if we initiate use of the submarine armada and fire upon it's weak points." Murdoc pondered his Cyborg's idea for a bit and looked at the others. "That sounds like it could work," Gruff mentioned. The other's seemed to agree.

"Alright, but first make sure there aren't any more of those... creepy ghost-things... on the island." the bassist shivered, looking behind his shoulder. "Yes Master-Murdoc, Gorillaz Sir!" it declared. Murdoc gave a pained sigh, one that Cyborg detected, but didn't react to. The musicians quickly began searching the island when out of nowhere, the plane swooped down and fired at them. Murdoc noticed it was heavily damaged from the smoke coming out of the engine but still, it tried to shoot at him. Cyborg fired at it, along with the others. "Object poses threat to Master. Must-be-destroyed," it said aloud with a smirk on its face. Noodle must've done a good number on it, he thought. Wait, if the plane's over here then where was she?

He raced to the other side of the island out of the plane's view so he wouldn't get gunned down. There was no way Russ would let anything happen to her, but he still worried. It was Noodle, after all. The bassist turned back to see the plane crash down, and everyone cheer, Cyborg being the exception, but she did have that damn smirk on her face. Well, that's a relief, he thought. Before turning the corner of the island he saw them take Cyborg's plan into action, hopping in the subs.

Murdoc rushed to the bay where he last saw his band mates and saw 2D, but no signs of Russel or Noodle. "Hey, face-ace!" he yelled out to the singer. 2D turned around. His eyes were as white as Russels. "Mu-muds!" he exclaimed. "Wot's th' matter with ya, and where's Russ and Noods?" Murdoc glowered. 2D's face grew pale which made Murdoc tense. "They're goin' after the pirate ship themselves! They crippled the plane enough ta where you guys could shoot it down and hurried after ta where th' Boogieman was so she could board the ship!"

"What?" Murdoc shrieked in a panic. "We already made plans ta go out there with the subs and bring down the ship! We can't 'ave Noodle on there when it happens, she'll be killed!"

"Wahh!" 2D screamed. "Wait, just tell 'em not ta go."

"I can't, you bloody idiot! They've already left!"

"Wahh!" 2D screamed again. "Wait, can't we just take Stylo?"

"Now gee, why didn't I think of that? Oh wait, I remember, IT GOT FUCKIN BLOWN UP BY THE DAMN HELLICOPTA!" He shrieked histerically pointing at the smoldering wreckage of the former sub shark.

"'Oly 'ell!" 2D gasped. "Our only choice is ta take the Orka! We'll never make it in time, but it's better than sittin' around doin' nothin!" Murdoc proclaimed. "Come on!"

They quickly spotted the docked boat and sped toward it. In the distance they could see Russel's giant form heading towards the pirate ship. The Boogieman stood proudly with its hands on its hips basking in some kind of glory.

"Aye, why's he all happy lookin' if his planes'r gettin' blown up?" 2D pointed out. "Woddya expect, 'es a freak!" Murdoc grumbled. "Now shut-up an git on the-eeck!" the bassist stopped, and 2D's face grew as pale as his white eyes.

A blonde man surrounded by smog stood at the entrance of the Orka, wearing a navy blue and red striped shirt, dark jeans, and a vicious little scowl on his face.


	6. Reality Blurs

**Chapter 6: Reality Blurs  
**

**It's been a while since I've updated,but I'm glad I got this chapter over with. I'll update sooner, I promise, and I just know you'll be anticipating chapter 7 after this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gorillaz, or it's collaborators.  
**

* * *

The man's shadowy face turned into a harsh, wicked grin as he took a few steps forward onto the rickety wooden plank that lead to the ground below where they stood. There was something about this man, something familiar almost, that sent chills down both their spines. Like the "ghost" of Paul they encountered before, he left a light, almost eerie, trail of vapor as he moved and also appeared to be slightly transparent yet whole enough to walk on solid ground from the sound of his footsteps on the boat. There was also something different about this one, however. He seemed… more aware of his actions and surroundings. There was a hint of sinister in his smile that made Murdoc feel uneasy, yet the hardened Satanist stood his ground.

"W-who the 'ell are you, and wot are ya doin' on my boat," Murdoc demanded with a slight quiver to his voice that 2D picked up on. Of course now was not the time for the blue haired man to point it out since he was even more frightened at the strange figure than his companion.

The blonde sailor-like man closed his eyes and chuckled malignantly.

"Murdoc Niccals," he felt the wind carry to his ears, almost like an echo through a dark cavern.

"…Yeh, that's me alright. Wot, ya wanna start somethin' with me," Murdoc challenged. The sailor laughed again in his British accent, though this time it was in a more mocking way.

"Come now, is that any way to treat the true genius behind Plastic Beach?" The man asked, feigning hurt by his words.

"Wot?" Murdoc growled angrily. "'…True genius behind Plastic Beach?' You? You're outta you're sodding mind, you ego grubbing charlatan! I made Plastic Beach! Me!" the bassist yelled back, his temper rising. The blonde smirked as though reminded of something.

"I have a lot of resentment toward you, most of which stems from your inability to give credit where it's rightfully do," he replied, glancing in 2D's direction. "I'm sure 2D and your fellow band mates are quite aware of that already. Murdoc shot 2D a look that screamed _if you agree with him I'll strangle you_, but 2D kept his wide eyes locked on the man, as though slowly coming to a realization oblivious to Murdoc.

"Look, I'm sure that's all fine and dandy but we don't 'ave much time right now to spare, so if you would kindly get the fuck off my boat then we could all be on our merry way," Murdoc spat, irritated by the man. He began walking toward him, dragging 2D by the arm.

He sighed. "He didn't say this was gonna be easy," the blonde murmured under his breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out that shocked Murdoc more than if he'd pulled a gun out to his face.

"That…that's," Murdoc stuttered in awe. His face grew angry and he let go of 2D to clench his fists. "Where did you get that? Who are you?" he snarled.

"I think you know exactly who I got this from, mate," he gestured toward the pirate ship with the hand holding the scrap of paper. "As for who am I? I think your 'dense' friend was able to pick up on that quicker than you for once," he laughed, the dark shadow lifted revealing his face.

"Damon?" he whispered in shock. He nodded.

"Pity he didn't bring Jamie's soul here as well. It's rather droll without him around," he mused.

"Soul?" Murdoc asked horrified. "You mean he's…and you…?" he subconsciously pointed a shaky finger at the blonde singer, who simply laughed.

"_Dead_? God no, you washed up old Goth! Sun just borrowed our souls from our sleeping bodies to help in ridding the world of you once and for all," Damon smiled. "Though the real me would never kill anyone, I'm quite the pacifist after all. But you know being possessed by a creature from the bowels of hell doesn't leave me much of a choice now, does it mate?"

_Sun_…? Murdoc asked himself. He must mean that wretched Boogieman. He shifted uneasily.

"What 'appened to Paul then? Is he…dead?" 2D quietly spoke up.

"No, no, he's back in his own body now, with no recollection of this whatsoever. I doubt any of us would want to remember what we did… or in this case, what we're about to do." He ended with a menacing laugh.

2D gulped, hiding behind Murdoc even more in fear. "Murdoc , we 'afe ta get ta Noodle," he whispered.

"Shut it, I know," he whispered back harshly.

Damon held out the scrap of paper over the edge of the boat. "Of course you know what this is," he said shaking the paper slightly for emphasis. "What do you call a family tree if you're the only one in it?" he asked just to amuse himself. "A very sad, very lonely place if you ask me," he answered himself. Murdoc growled, his temper slowly rising. The Blur singer continued. "You can't ever love, what's the point if they're as good as dead and you just keep living. It's pitiful way to live, really." 2D stood there completely lost on what he was going on about.

If Murdoc wasn't angry before, which he clearly was, he was now furious. He started making his way up onto the boat toward his longtime band friend/collaborator when he froze in front of him. Damon had pulled his lighter under the scrap, his eager finger poised over the flicker switch. "What's more important to you, Murdoc? The book you wrote about all about yourself…" he leaned in closer to his ear, "or _her_," Murdoc's face went pale at the last two words then turned into a scowl.

"Rrrrgh! Enough! That's a bloody stupid question Albarn! You can keep your stupid little piece of paper, I don't need it! I've got a monster ta stop and a girl ta save!" He shoved the ghostly striped-shirted man out of his way and went for the controls. "Get in, dent-head!" he yelled down to the bluenette who immediately rushed onboard past the other singer on the ground now.

The ghostly frame of Damon sat there bemused. "Perhaps I've been wrong about you yet, Niccals," he confessed. "I'm still gonna hold a little bit of a grudge against you for stealing my Carousel ideas though."His words echoed through the air as he dematerialized into nothing.

2D watched in amazement, but his attention quickly turned to the events unfolding in the sea when Murdoc yelled out.

"Shit!" he cursed, steering the Orka hectically.

"Are we too late?" 2D fretted. The pirate ship was already smoking from the bottom from where the subs attacked and Noodle was nowhere to be seen.

"Rrrr! Can't this thing go any faster?" Murdoc roared to whoever listened.

"Oi! Do ya see Russel? I can't see 'im!" 2D hollered out to the bassist.

"No, I don't see-wait!" He stopped at the sight of the large brown sphere emerging from the water forming into the heavyset drummer. He was gasped for air. "Big-boy, ahoy!" he cheered.

Massive waves created by the drummer pushed against the boat, causing the two to lose their footing slightly. The pirate ship was smoking from the bottom, most likely from the sub fire. The boogieman and Noodle were no longer visible, but his ghostly lackeys were preparing to fire the cannon at Russel. It occurred to Murdoc that that was probably why Russ was underwater in the first place.

"Still don't see 'er, or that bloody creep," Murdoc mumbled to himself looking through his scope.

"Do ya fink she's on it?" 2D yelled up to the bassist. Before he could reply, Russel roared in anger as he swung at an incoming cannonball, knocking it back to the ship. A fire erupted on the ship almost immediately when it struck their supply of weapons, then an explosion sent a wave crashing into the drummer and the tiny boat, almost toppling it over.

"Hang on," Murdoc yelled. 2D's arms flung around the rope that tied the mast in place causing it to come undone. The boat began to swing in the other direction causing Murdoc to fall to the deck below with 2D. "Arrgh! Wot the fuck!" he growled, looking around at what might have caused the boat to turn.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry!" 2D pled the angry bassist clamoring to his feet. He instinctively brought both arms up to shield his face from a pummeling, but nothing of the sort came. He looked up and saw something else had Murdoc's attention. The pirate ship had split in two, and both fiery halves were sinking. Russel was in a rage, and they both immediately saw why.

There was Noodle, hanging on at the very edge of the ship with a dense cloud of smoke surrounding her. Her hands no longer carried the Cyborg's weapon and her white dress was torn in different areas but her mask remained on, as if determined to cling onto its owner. The Boogieman was still nowhere to be seen though. He could only assume Noodle had taken care of it, though he was doubtful he would be rid of it that easily.

"Noodle! Look, it's Noodle! And she's alive!" 2D cheerfully exclaimed, pointing to the petite Japanese girl with navy hair.

"Dammit! How the hell are we gonna save her all the way over 'ere?" Murdoc wondered. One of the subs surfaced right under where she was, its owner popping out the top. Both their faces lit up.

"Hey, girl! Jump in!" The man yelled from below. Noodle hesitated, and shook her head. It was a pretty steep drop after all. "Come on, I'll catch ya!" he called out to her again. The flames were starting to get closer to where she was, causing her to rush her decision.

"Come on, Luv," the Satanist muttered to himself. "Don't be afraid."

She looked back to the ship and down again at her scruffy bearded savior and jumped without further delay. Murdoc held his breath and 2D gasped. She landed right into Gruff's arms and sank back into the sub with him. Good girl, he muttered. They watched as the rest of the remaining ship sank into the depths below, extinguishing the flames. "She's safe! Yes!" They both let out cheers. They heard Russel sigh in relief. "Alright, back to the beach we go!" he ordered his second in command extending a green finger to Plastic Beach.

"Aye Aye, Cap'n!" 2D happily replied realigning the mast. Russel moved up next to them, swimming alongside the boat.

"Those friends of yours?" he asked.

"Gruff? Yeh, collaborated with De La on a track of mine. Superfast Jellyfish," he said proudly.

"Jellyfish? What like those pink an' blue things swimmin' all ova the place here? Man, I can't get enough of those guys! They kinda taste like chicken!"

"Huh. So I've heard," Murdoc chuckled.

"Oi, Russ!" 2D yelled up to the giant, "'Ow'd ja git ta be so flippin' big alla sudden?"

"I dunno, D! I just ate whatever I swam by, but the weird thing is, the closer I got to here, the smaller they got and funnier they started to taste. Then I got this glowin' shit goin' on with my skin now!" he emphasized by pointing to the slightly turquoise sheen on his head. "I can tell you got it bad yourself, man!" the drummer said to the green skinned bassist. Murdoc grunted in annoyance.

"Yeh, let's just say that's wot did it, an' leave it at that," he mumbled. 2D snickered.

"I know why you're greeeen," he sang, aggravating the man even more.

"Shaddup!" He smacked him upside the head, but 2D kept giggling. Russel rolled his eyes.

"Man, you two never change!"

They arrived back on the island after the subs docked and everyone had climbed out. Murdoc threw out the anchor and impatiently waited for the boat to reach the dock. He practically jumped of the ledge onto the dock and started making his way to the others. Russel and 2D exchanged glances. "Yo D,What's his problem?" He made a half smile.

"Guess 'e really missed lil' Noodle. God knows we've spent hours lookin' for you an 'er when we got that cruise ship footage." He didn't mention to Russel that all Murdoc would talk about was finding Noodle that week, more so than finding him.

"Hm," was all Russel said.

Murdoc looked through the group of collaborators for Noodle, and spotted her still with Gruff. He started walking up to her, thinking of what he should say to her after all this time, when he was suddenly approached.

"Master Murdoc!" Murdoc groaned at the sound of that mechanical voice. "The threat is no longer a cause of concern. Do you have any further commands," Cyborg asked. He needed to get rid of it for a bit while he talked to Noodle. He was well aware of the expression on her face when she saw it and thought it best to explain things to her without the replica lingering around awaiting commands.

"Yes, yes. Go fetch me some rum from the stash in the war room," he murmured. That ought to buy him some extra time. It turned and began walking to the entrance. "With ice!" he yelled right before it disappeared into the door. He sighed.

_What have I gotten myself into_?


	7. Remaining Pieces

**figleaf presents: Chapter 7: Remaining Pieces  
**

**Finally! The chapter you've been waiting for! Hehehehe**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gorillaz  
**

**

* * *

**

Murdoc slowly began making his way to his guitarist. "Okay," he sighed. "Don't want her ta be _weirded_ out or anything, just gotta act normal." Ironically though, this situation was far from normal. Very far from normal.

How was he going to even begin to explain the Cyborg to her? Hey Noods! You know how cool it would be to suddenly have a twin sister? Well surprise! Yeah, she'd never go for that.

He was no less than 3 meters from her when he felt a surge of jealousy go through him. Noodle was fawning all over Gruff Rhys, while he smiled and thanked her. "Jeeze, I know the guy saved her, but she doesn't have ta act like he's the friggin' Pope," he muttered.

In all honesty, he wished he was the one who came to her rescue. This whole time, he'd been the one who went to the depths of hell for her, the one who searched every corner of the world he could possibly think of for her, who even searched the ocean when he finally got a good lead, but in the end he ended up looking like the guy who abandoned her. It was no wonder she was acting so cold to him upon arrival. He hadn't even seen her smile once up to this point.

But there she was now, with the Super Furry Animals singer, gushing at him like a schoolgirl. She still had the mask pulled down strangely enough, but from her body language and stance, he saw the same Noodle from Kong the days when Graham Coxon came to visit. What was this guy's deal anyway? Murdoc got close enough to hear her talk.

"…And I have listened to all your albums and… Oh! I have… er, that is, had a Super Furry Animals poster in my room at Kong!" She paused a moment and Murdoc saw her mask tilt down slightly. _She must be thinking about Kong_.

Murdoc walked up just before the silence could get any more awkward. "Hey listen Gruff, I really owe it ta ya for savin' little Noodle 'ere," he wrinkled his brow at the fact that he let the word "little" slip from his mouth out of force of habit when describing Noodle, but luckily his thick fringe covered the gesture. "Really fantastic stuff but hey, Noodle and I have a lot of catching up ta do if you don't mind."

Gruff smiled politely. "No, not at all! I have to go meet up with the guys from De La for a bit anyway." He turned to her and extended a hand. "Noodle, it's been a pleasure. Murdoc, catch ya later!" And with that he was off.

They were alone finally.

"Little?" Noodle asked.

_Damn. She picked up on that._

"It just slipped, Luv," he said with a small chuckle. "It's still a bit strange seeing you, erm… _older_." She looked at him with the painted cat face. "I know, I'm just teasing," she said with a hint of sweetness to her voice. He felt that feeling suddenly. The one he hadn't felt since the very last time she spoke to him in that honey dipped voice of hers. This time though it seemed more right to him. She was older now than she was back then, that was a given. That should make things easier now.

It should, right?

They were having a light conversation, though both were most definitely beating around the bush. He had questions for her, she had questions for him. Murdoc felt the need to break the ice first.

"Noodle listen, I know everything seems a little…_crazy_ right now, wot with the island in the middle of nowhere, the album, the creepy soul stealing demons…"

"The robot me," she interrupted in a low, almost resentful, voice. Murdoc moved his hand to the back of his neck and looked away from her.

"Right, yeh, 'bout that, er… I'll get ta that later, but my point is… ah…what I'm trying ta say is…" he saw her fold her arms awaiting the explanation. He cautiously raised his hand to her, and when she didn't protest, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Noodle… I never stopped looking for you." He hoped she would believe him, because he tried to convince himself of it too. "I know it's a bit weird hearing me say it, but I never gave up hope," he sighed in frustration. She seemed to pick up on how uncomfortable he was saying this to her, considering she couldn't ever think of a single time where he spoke like this to anyone.

"Murdoc…" she placed her hand of his. "I…I don't know if I can trust you," she said with sympathetic directness. She removed his hand off her shoulder. "I have so many questions for you, as I'm sure you do for me and until those questions get answered I…" she trailed off. Murdoc gave her an understanding nod.

"Um… if it makes it easier on ya Luv I can shut off the Cyborg." Crap, no he couldn't. He needed it to be his body guard and to be his assistant. He waited for Noodle's answer anyway. He saw the mask tilt slightly, as if reading his facial movements.

"Somehow I doubt you want that," She simply said.

"No, no! Now that you're here…"

"My replacement is no longer needed, is what you are trying to say. Or have you grown attached to it…?" she asked.

"Noodle…" Murdoc trailed off. She looked at him quizzically.

"Yes?"

"Lemme see yer face," he ordered, changing the subject. She turned her head from him. "Please…" he whispered.

"No," she said softly.

"For fuck's sake Noodle! I've been ta hell and back looking fer you! I even 'ad that thing built like you, thinking it could _fill the void_ or whatever, but it didn't work! I needed you, and only you! How hard is it ta understand that?" he shouted hotly.

Cyborg Noodle approached him from behind with a glass of rum with ice. "Yourzzzt… drink, sir."

Noodle glared at it, then back to Murdoc.

"Understand?" she snapped. "I come back to this? A… _cyborg_ clone of myself acting like your servant? Is that what you wanted of me all this time? For me to serve your every need?" She cried out.

"No! She just helps me around every once inna while, Luv!"

She huffed and became stiff. "I noticed there are no other women on the island…" she said quietly. Murdoc raised an eyebrow.

"There was one, but she left after recording her tracks with 2D," he said suspiciously. Noodle stood there not saying a word. "Wot, are you implying that me and…" he looked at the Cyborg and back to Noodle. She put her hands on her hips.

"Well, did you?"

Murdoc was taken aback. "Of course not! You know me better than that! That's… ugh! She's a fuckin' robot that looks like you fer chrissake!"

"And…" Noodle continued.

"Well, that-it would be…weird…look, why are we even talking about this?" Murdoc asked.

"Because I wanted to see just how much you've changed Murdoc," she sighed. "And so far I don't like what I see." Noodle began to walk off. Murdoc said nothing then she turned back to him.

"Russel and I are going to be staying here for a while. He doesn't mind sleeping alongside the beach in the water, but I'm going to need a private room to stay in. Please provide me with a suitable guitar in it as mine was damaged on the way here. I'm going to see 2D now," she finished. Murdoc ran a hand through his thick greasy hair and watched her walk off. Cyborg beeped at him to remind him of his rum, which he more than willingly drank in less than a minute. It looked at him as if expecting him to ask it to fetch some more.

"I'll get it m'self."

* * *

Murdoc grunted as he sifted through the remains of what was once the study. He'd been able to get Dave to start working on the elevators after yet another argument with the little demented workman. There was something about that guy that seemed off, almost sinister but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what exactly. Not as sinister as him of course, the Satanist chuckled to himself.

For now, he needed to hire more people to rebuild the ceiling, the floor, the walls… shit what wasn't destroyed? In the meantime, he could just get Cyborg to help clean it up. Or would that just be too awkward with the real Noodle around? If she's gonna hate his guts while she's here, the least he could do was make her feel comfortable. Hell, he wanted her to feel happy around him, not…this.

The image of her scowling face the only time she removed her mask flashed through his mind.

Murdoc sighed and shook his head.

What's with all these feelings anyway? She was too young for him. She wasn't even his type. He liked big breasted shapely women with curves and lusty smiles. Noodle was the complete opposite of what he went for in the past. But not only that, she wouldn't ever go for a dirty middle aged man with rotting green skin. She found him repulsive in the past so why would that change now?

He walked into the recording studio to inspect the damage. Just a few broken windows from Cyborg's gun shots. Nothing that couldn't be repaired within a day.

Noodle was still with 2D and Russel somewhere outside. She'll probably get even more pissed at him when he decides to tell her all about his "kidnaping situation." It wasn't _really_ kidnapping though. That idiot just liked to exaggerate. He was sure 2D loved to sing, he just needed to be reminded of that with a little help from a hungry whale. He only did what he needed to do for the sake of Gorillaz after all.

It was also the very first time he really felt in complete control of the band too. While he enjoyed having Dan the Automater and Danger Mouse giving some insight into the last albums, he loved being the sole producer of Plastic Beach. Sure having Russel there with his infinite knowledge of rap, hip-hop, and other types of music would have helped a little, but he managed to pull it off. And yeah, it did lack a little something extra. Something to make all the tracks flow together. He tried to get them to, but it in the end they had sort of a disconnected feel to them.

Noodle knew how to make them flow. She did it with Demon Days. Hell, even her ten year old self helped with some of that back in the day. She would have fun with the tracks too, making them sound livelier or adding her own voice to make them complete.

Sweet Satan, he missed that.

Cyborg couldn't sing for shit, she just played guitar. Noodle sung, played, wrote, even danced to songs in the recording booth. Cyborg had to be plugged into a socket hanging from a ceiling while volts of electricity literally went through her causing her to spontaneously come up with new riffs, but even then, he was sure it would've sounded better with Noodle.

He loved what she had done for the band, but it wasn't until a little after they released Demon Days that he started to take notice of her talents, in more ways than one.

It was wrong.

He told himself that over and over.

He was old, so he pushed back those feelings and made do with what he could get. Disposable groupies. Yeah, he loved the sex, he craved it. But they just made for temporary relief, and he never got too close to them. Sure one or two would linger for a while, but never more than just a few days.

He knew there was a line he couldn't cross with her. He has 1001 reasons why he shouldn't. Russel would pummel him for one. Somehow he always figured it would fuck up the band somehow. Still, although he was never one to care about what others thought, he did have an image to maintain. As obnoxious, drunk, impatient, horny, possessive, and rude as he was, he knew she had boundaries and he was willing to wait for however long it took for her to give him an opening.

He looked around the room until he found what he was looking for. "There's th' lil bugger," he mumbled to himself. Under a keyboard housed on a stack of boxes he came across a long box marked "Ship to Plastic Beach; Point Nemo," along with the coordinates. Under that, it said "Fragile." He took the box over his shoulder and walked out the studio.

* * *

Noodle and 2D sat on the beach watching the gulls fly by. Russel was somewhere, most likely having a chat with Snoop Dogg since he'd always wanted to meet him.

"I wish I could show you my room, but I fink it's undah-water right now," 2D half joked, smile fading quickly.

Noodle let out a light laugh. "Don't worry, we'll get Russel to fix that hole you mentioned and we'll get all the water out soon."

2D looked down with the same intense expression on his face. "It's alright, Noods. I didn't really like that room anyway. Whatever extra rooms Murdoc has here are good enough for me. I'll sleep on the beach if I 'ave to."

Noodle looked at him with sad eyes. He looked like he had gone through so much. They all had though. She really did go to hell and back, Murdoc too. 2D had his own personal hell here on the beach, while Russel spent almost a year just swimming in the sea. The only difference between what they went through before was Murdoc had made it this way.

In the past, Murdoc made life unpleasant with his bad habits, terrible hygiene, and lust for women that almost tore up the band for good, but they'd always been able to keep him in his place. Now that his restraints were gone he went completely power hungry for control of it all. Locking 2D in an underwater chamber with a whale, gassing and kidnapping his guest artists, and of course… _that thing_ that creeps her out. It's almost like seeing yourself through some demented mirror when she looks at it.

But it was weird. Why did Murdoc build a replica of her? She never claimed to be the best guitarist in the world, she could think of plenty that were (to her of course) better than her. He could have easily gotten a new guitarist. But he didn't. He wanted her. Wanted her so badly, that when he couldn't get her, he had to try the next best thing that came to his mind; make a walking, talking statue of her that played guitar too. She didn't know if she should be flattered or disgusted.

Noodle didn't like dwelling on the matter any longer. She was tired, filthy, and hungry. Somehow all the fighting and the reunion made her forget all that up until her stomach let out a rather noticeable gurgle.

"Ah, 2D," She asked, slightly embarrassed. The keyboardist gave her a quick glance.

"Yeh, Noodle?"

"I don't suppose you know where we can get something to eat around here, do you?"

2D looked at her dumbfounded then realized she more than likely was starving.

"You poor fing, prolly 'aden't eaten in days, wot the hell am I doin' holding ya back, come on!" He grabbed her wrist and they started heading to the lift. 2D pushed the button for the lift but nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Noodle asked concerned.

His finger pressed the button repeatedly, hoping it would somehow make the door open.

"Rrgh, looks like we'll have ta find anotha way up. The power's out in the lift." Noodle looked at him curiously.

"How did Murdoc get up there then?" She asked the blue headed singer. His face grew a blank expression and he scratched the top of his head.

"I reckons I don't know…"

They suddenly heard a faint rumbling noise that started getting louder and louder. Noodle's instincts kicked in and she went into combat mode. "What is that?" she hissed. 2D looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary in the entrance.

"I don't know that either, but I can feel it getting closer!" The walls shook slightly as the noise intensified then a loud bang was heard then silence. They both stood there completely confused as to what had happened until suddenly they heard moaning. "The bloody 'ell…" 2D quivered.

_Could it be…?_

"Zombies? They're here too?" Noodle gasped. She realized the moaning was coming from the wall behind her and she spun around, still in her fighter stance.

"No, no, NO! It can't be zombies! We left all that rubbish behind at Kong!" 2D cried out. Noodle saw a panel on the wall move slightly and heard heavy breathing. Beads of sweat formed at her brow and she raised both hands in front of her, ready to take down whatever it was. There was a loud grunt and the panel burst open, its inhabitant came tumbling out in front of them. She wasted no time.

"KARATE WA CHOPPU!" Noodle screeched as she sent a powerful blow to the back of his neck. He went flying straight into the shark carcass on the ground and slid into the wall.

"Arrrgh! WOT TH' FOOK NOODLE?"

Noodle and 2D peered behind the decaying fish to see Murdoc in what looked like a new yoga position.

"Murdoc!" She cried out running to him. "I'm… I am so sorry…! I thought you were a zombie!" She kicked the shark away with her bare foot, getting it and her stripped stocking damp and slimy. She made a mental note to take a really long shower and get new clothes. Murdoc grumbled as he tried to get himself out of the currently painful position he was in.

He rubbed his neck with his bony hand, grunting "that's gonna 'urt in th' morning," while Noodle took hold of his other hand to help lift him to his feet.

"Are you okay," she asked, slightly ashamed of her sudden attack on him. He glared murderously at 2D who couldn't help but laugh hysterically at him making a fool of himself.

"Shaaadup, ya bleedin' twat!" he snarled at the singer, who now had tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh gawd, that wos the funniest moment of me life!" he chortled clutching his side. Murdoc narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm gonna throw ya in that room of yours, water an' all!" he fumed heading towards him.

"I don't care! You 'ade it comin, you old goff! Tote'lly worth it!" he laughed.

"Murdoc…" Noodle sighed. He felt a tug at his hand and realized he was still holding onto her hand. He turned to her and saw that she lifted her mask enough to reveal her red lips forming a frown.

"Don't," she quietly mouthed. He looked back to 2D and saw his laughter finally dying down. He growled again.

"Fine," he spat, feeling his anger dwindling.

For almost a brief moment he thought he saw her smile through the corner of his eye but before he could get a better look, she had pulled the mask back down. 2D had settled down by now.

"Hrmph. Anyway, I figure you two were stuck down here ona count of the power outage in the lift, so I came ta get you." He motioned sullenly to the hole in the wall where he made his rather comical entrance. Noodle examined the shaft with sudden interest.

"A mini back-up lift?" She asked.

Murdoc nodded. "Run by a separate generator in the broom closet. It can only hold one person at a time though, just crawl in, push the button that says "2" and we can all have a nice chat on the garden patio."

Noodle eyed him through her mask. "What about Russel?"

"It's outdoors Luv. He's big enough to hang over us and block out the bleedin' sun if he wanted. He'll be there too. Not to mention I've got lunch set up out there,"

"Alright," Noodle reluctantly agreed. Murdoc smiled sinisterly showing off his sharp teeth.

"After you, face-ache," he sang in mock politeness.

"Of course," he mumbled to himself as he crawled in the tiny space. "Gah, it's like a flippin coffin in 'ere!" he cried out. "I fink I'm gettin' clausta…clostuh…cluster-,"Murdoc reached in and quickly pushed the button sending him up the shoot.

"Heh heh heh."

Noodle shook her head and sighed again, getting Murdoc's attention.

"Wot?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing," she said. "I have forgotten how much I liked your sense of humor," she giggled lightly. Murdoc stood staring at her unable to come up with a response. The lift came back down with a thud, disrupting the moment. Noodle crawled inside and pushed the button.

"See you at the top, Murdoc-kun!"

* * *

**Next up: Gorillaz together at last! Plus a surprise for Noodle...  
**


	8. Conflict in a New Light

**Chapter 08: Conflict in a New Light**

**Hello readers! Many apologies for not updating in so long. School and work take a lot out of me, plus I was waiting for the Plastic Beach site to update so I could have more of the newer areas of it involved as well. If you've actually stuck around this long waiting or if you're just discovering the story, I sincerely thank you! P.S. next Ch. I'll get to the gift, I promise!  
**

* * *

The sun peaked on the edge of the horizon, yearning to make its final drop behind the sea after witnessing the spectacle that was the battle with the Boogieman. The heavy clouds of smoke have cleared by this time, as well as the people Murdoc had "hired" to work on his nautically inspired album.

Noodle was sitting at the end of the table next to 2D, her eyes fixated on her "cybernetic abomination" standing across from her next to Murdoc. Russel's looming presence intimidated the green, seafaring bassist, but the young guitarist had already grown accustomed to the ghostly eyed man's new size. It didn't help Murdoc that Russ was glaring down at him with his giant furrowing eyebrows either. So he in turn glared at 2D, who with a mouthful of banana cream pie was blissfully unaware of the tension. The blue haired singer was just glad everyone was back together and he was out of his underwater prison cell for the time being.

Noodle slowly picked up her glass of orange juice for a sip, not taking her eyes off her clone. The cyborg stood next to its master, expressionlessly awaiting a command. Noodle cleared her throat.

"Murdoc. We have much to discuss, no?" the young girl began. Russel gave a very audible grunt of agreement. 2D glanced at the guitarist, then at the bassist who took a swig from his glass of rum.

"Mmm. Mm-hmm." He agreed as the harsh liquid washed down his throat. "Actually, you know wot?" he said suddenly standing up. "I reckon this calls for a celebration, yeah? Gorillaz are finally reunited! Ready to take on the world once again!" He enthusiastically threw his arms in the air. His three human band members all blinked at him, recalling a slight touch of the eccentrically obsessive bassist they knew from the past.

He looked over at Cyborg who was standing off to one side. "Cyborg Noodle! Be a doll and go fetch me that special bottle I've been saving in my room, will you?" he turned gingerly to the others. "Get it? Doll? Cause she's like a..." Noodle's face dropped back into a scowl under the mask and the other two rolled their eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Er... never mind that last bit there, heh. Just go and get the booze, Cy-Noodle." Upon hearing the man call someone… some_ thing_ else by her name, Noodle grew furious. It didn't take looking under her mask for the other two to notice this.

"Yes, *bzzt* Murdoc Niccals Master Bass pl-,"

"Shatto-up baka replica! Go before I dismantle you and make a rice cooker out of your head!"

Everyone turned in shock to see Noodle clutching the edge of the table with both hands. A surprised 2D dropped his fork with a clank against his plate. Cyborg paused and gave her an expressionless look.

"You are not my master," it murmured and walked off. Noodle growled and mumbled something Japanese under her breath, taking a seat.

An awkward silence set in after the cyborg left.

Murdoc broke the tense atmosphere when he cleared his throat. "Look luv, I know it's…" he paused looking for the right word, "…_difficult_ to get readjusted after being gone for so long, but if we're gonna make a new album we're gonna have to all get along, alrighty?"

"NEW ALBUM?" All three cried out.

"We just bloody released your Plastic Hell!" 2D complained. "Er… well at least you an' I did," he added giving the other two an apologetic look. Russel gave him a quick understanding nod before turning back to Murdoc.

"Look Muds, ya really expect everything ta fall back inna place just because we showed up? Nah man, it don't work that way! As far as I'm concerned, Gorillaz is over! Aint nothin' gonna change that!" Russel scooted up a little closer on the island causing it to tilt slightly.

Murdoc scoffed. "Then _why_ are you even here, fatso?"

"Man, you know exactly why I'm here! Ta kick yo' sorry green cracka' ass and ta get my bortha's record shack back!"

2D looked at him blankly. "Russel has a brother?" he asked surprised. Murdoc face-palmed.

"Its American-speak for _amigo_ you twit," he grumbled leaning back in his chair. "Also," he turned back to Russel, "you're gonna 'ave ta take that up with Big Rick, mate. Seems he likes it here on Plastic Beach."

Russel's eyes grew wide. "The hell are you talkin' bout man? Big Rick's been missing since…" he trailed off. "You mean…?" Murdoc nodded.

"Surprise!" he said with a low chuckle, swishing the ice around in his drink. "Came along inside the record shack I stole apparently, thought it was empty. Might explain why the damn thing weighed so much I had ta haul it with 2D's friend, Moby Dick, you know. Said he didn't really like the way I got 'im here, heh, but the change of scenery really made up for it. You can go muck around later with him if you'd like. That's if you can get 'im unstuck outta that shack," he murmured the last sentence, thinking back to the obese, lazy lump of flesh with no attention span and an unhealthy obsession with butter.

Russel couldn't decide whether to be happy or upset with his band mate. He settled on something in between.

"Murdoc," Noodle interrupted. "Gorillaz is not as it once was in the past." The porcelain mask turned to Russel. "Too much has changed." To 2D, "Lines have been crossed," and back to him. "Trusts… have been broken."

"Noods," Murdoc sighed, but she went on. He knew she was going to go into one of her famous monologues, but part of him didn't mind since he could listen to her voice once again after all this time.

"When we first came together to play the Camden show, people did not know what to expect. They saw a group of strange individuals: A man with no eyes and blue hair, a… rather large American drummer with blank eyes, a Satanist with a bit of a drinking problem…" 2D and Russel mentally scoffed at the "bit of," part.

"…and me." Noodle looked down at her twiddling thumbs. "A ten year old Japanese guitarist who only knew the language of music besides her own." A seagull flew overhead as Noodle breathed in the salty air. "They thought we were a ah- how you call- gimmick! A band with such diverse backgrounds could not possibly get along enough to play a show let alone make a full length album! Still, we went out there and proved them that we could, not only because of our love of music, but because allowed ourselves to trust in each others movements, allowing four separate beautiful creations to combine into one and form into such a –ah! Powerful force that proved to the skeptics that we are simply not a product of a corporation with the intention of adding more to the waste created by the hollow disillusioned industries to make money! We are Gorillaz! And we challenged the boy bands, the pop stars, the MTVs the X-Factors of the world!"

Noodle enthusiastically slammed a fist on the table and exhaled. The three men were stunned even more now than when she lost her cool at Cyborg, who had returned during the monologue, and poured everyone but Russel a glass of Amontillado since there was no glass large enough for him.

"Despite your inexcusably _horrid_ behavior to your fr-," she stopped. "…_Band mates_ Murdoc, I have come to the decision that I shall once again be a part of Gorillaz, not just because we need to create music now more so than ever, but because I can no longer allow you to twist yourself into an uglier demon than you have already become. I do have to applaud you in some ways however. Despite my and Russel's lack of presence, and even with 2D's unwillingness to participate without force, you somehow managed to make an undoubtedly superb collection of songs that seem to hold some powerful emotion that I had not realized you could ever readily express to the world. It is truly remarkable how much you have grown as a musician since Demon Days." She walked over to him. "Murdoc, I care about you as I care about 2D and Russel. Even though there are times I questioned your judgment, your decisions about the band, and even though some of those decisions made me hate you… at certain times," her voice cracked slightly, "I still don't wish ill will on you or anyone in this band."

Her words echoed through his mind and he cursed himself for making her ever feel hate._  
_

"I know you never wished upon what I went through. I regained my memories of my military past, but even that was not enough to prepare me for what I had to endure after I parachuted off the island."

Noodle stood with parched lips, shaky and slightly dizzy from talking more than she had in a long time, but she deemed this the right time to finally reveal to them what had happened that infamous day of the "El Mañana" shooting. A rustle of wind blew from behind her, bringing loose a few dark blue strands from behind her mask. The three men allowed her to continue without interruption.

"An updraft had blown me much farther than I had anticipated to land, sending me into a dead forest of sharp branches and dust. My chute got caught in a tree and for hours I tried to free myself. I felt very weak from the scratches and burns already, but I was able to cut the ropes and be free. My victory however was short lived as I slipped off the branch onto the floor below due to my current state."

2D held a hand over his mouth, speechless over the story Noodle began to reveal for the first time. Russel had a mixed look of sympathy and anger. Murdoc leaned forward with an unreadable expression on his face, placing her words alongside the imagery he remembered from that day.

"I had fallen unconscious, I do not know for how long, but I had awakened from the cold of the night. I was in terrible pain and I was… very frightened. It all seemed like a nightmare similar to the ones I had when I was a child. I wasn't able to take comfort in knowing it was a dream this time because it was really happening. And then… I saw them…"

Noodle turned away clutching her arms.

_She looks almost…pained, _he thought_.  
_

2D opened his mouth to ask, but she interrupted with the reply.

"Demons," she whispered.

Murdoc gave a slight whimper he hoped none of the others would catch. He knew where this was going and he didn't like it. The wind blew around them, slightly chillier than before.

"The demons claimed to be after someone I knew, someone who had connections with the outer realm of their existence. They knew I was close to this person so they took me prisoner. At first I thought it was Russel they were after because of his ability to channel spirits, but I soon found out this was not the case." She walked to the ledge away from them to look out at the sea.

"It was you, Murdoc. It was you they were after."

Murdoc winced, unable to form a response. The other two narrowed their blank eyes at him as if blaming him. Still facing the ocean, Noodle's hand moved to the side of the mask, caressing it slightly before lifting it up above her head. This alone grabbed their attention away from the Satanist, thankfully for him.

"I cannot even begin to describe what I went through while I was there, but somehow I managed to survive."

She hesitated before going on. They felt her unease. "The radio transmission… was planned. They wanted to use me to lure you into Hell but I refused. They threatened to send Death after all of you much like they did with Russel so I had no choice but to comply. When I overheard them planning to destroy Kong Studios from the inside by entering through the Hell Hole, I knew I had to do something to stop them! So when it came time to make the transmission, I instead tried to warn you all to leave Kong. This of course made them very angry and right as I was able to finish speaking with Murdoc and tell him where I was being captive, I was taken away by…," she trembled slightly.

"…the demon boy."

2D gasped, the other two sat in complete shock.

"I hate that fing! Scares the willies outta me," 2D quivered under his breath.

A few years back one of Murdoc's incantations had backfired, either because he didn't recite the words right (he was usually drunk when he did this), or he forgot to do something that was part of the spell and thus he ended up summoning a black skinned demon boy with piercing red eyes. Though he thought he got rid of the little bugger once and for all, here he was again popping up in Noodle's story.

He and the others had hoped to never see that horrible thing ever again. Unfortunately for Noodle, she became reacquainted with him in the worst manner possible.

"Because I had defied them, I was... burned... as punishment. I could not fight back with the skills I already possessed because they meant only to fight mortals and zombies, of course. There was only one way I could fight them but all hope was lost for that since it required something I didn't have." She placed her hand over her chest.

"2D-san, do you recall the envelope I carried with me at all times next to my heart?"

The blue haired man thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeh, the one that had the words that made you remember everyfing and whatnot. I remember that. You always kept it with you."

"I did," she said, "they also had the words needed to become the ultimate weapon, even against those not of this world. Only right before the video shoot I gave it to Russel for safe keeping."

"You _wot_?" both Murdoc and 2D exclaimed. Russel held up a small light blue book with the words "Sea Bacon," written on the cover. The envelope was long deteriorated so all he had now was the booklet it contained.

"Christ, Noodle! Why would you go and do a _stupid_ thing like that?" Murdoc blurted and immediately wanted to punch himself in the gut for doing so.

A tinge of anger began welling up inside her, but she fought it down.

"Had I had been informed I was going to be in even greater danger than I was told that day I most likely would have," she said in a low growl.

"Look Noodle, we tried to take every precaution that day and even told them ta put rubber bullets in the chopper's guns, but then we come ta find out those helicopters weren't the right ones! They came out of nowhere and since we were waiting for choppers anyway we assumed they were the ones we ordered!" he retaliated, standing up from his seat.

"But whose actions caused them to come after us in the first place? I still suffered a great deal because of it! Being aware of even the most minute dangers during a large scale video shoot is the most essential key, but that does not matter now that the damage is done!" she shot back at him.

"I know I've made some mistakes in the past Noodle, and yes, it was hasty of me to think I've gotten all my enemies off of our trail since I made those deals ta permanently knock 'em off my back when a few managed to slip through the cracks, but I never meant ta get you involved in any of this mess, luv!"

Noodle scoffed, refusing still to face him. "The day I was mailed to you was the day I became involved."

Murdoc felt something unpleasant wash over him. Sadness.

"Noodle... please. The very thought of you dying because of my stupid mistakes makes me want to... I... couldn't even begin to imagine you being gone, but you were and I had no one else to blame but myself. Fuck! I... barely made it past those first months without wanting to jab a corkscrew through my brain! I searched everywhere for you, Noodle! I fucking looked in every place I could think of for you. I tried to move on by trying something new away from Kong, hell, away from everything that reminded me of what happened, so I went to the furthest place away from anyone but even then I still felt something was missing. Instead of trying to run from all that shit I started, I started to face it little by little without tryin' ta go insane. That's why I built another you. You were outta my reach when I needed you th' most so I had to make do with wot I had."

Murdoc's hand moved to his fringe and he sighed. "Having you around is wot didn't drive me from going bleedin' crazy. I guess I thought having this photocopy would at least slow down the process a bit. Hell Noodle, don't say I didn't try looking fer ya, I got in my sub when I found out you were alive, and even before that I went to Satan's bloody front door for you!" he yelled, pushing away the chair he was sitting in in a fit of anger.

"I know," she choked, fighting back a tear.

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I...I saw you."

Murdoc emotions came to a screeching halt and his eyes widened.

"You… you saw me?" he asked looking up. She nodded. Her head was slightly turned toward him but her fringe hid her eyes.

"They forced me to watch as you picked up a demon with a deceiving spell placed on it. I… I tried to cry out for you but I was too weak to. They laughed as I tried to call out and mocked me. Since you had fallen into their trap they presumed they could easily destroy you because of your weakened state. They didn't anticipate however that you would end up defeating that demon so easily so they sealed the Hell Hole with lava until they could begin to gather more demons for the impending invasion. I am just glad you heeded my words and escaped in time."

Murdoc now stood behind her, looking down at his Cuban heeled boots, but his mind was swimming in the reality Noodle threw at him.

Noodle sighed. "I know you went through a lot, for I see you have changed, as have I."

"Noodle I…," He trailed off feeling his words were helpless.

She turned around to face him unmasked and at that moment he saw her completely different from the girl he once knew as a young teen. He saw an undauntedly strong-willed young woman with a desire to embrace life emanating from within. She had left behind a small child griped with fear in hell. Innocence was just a distant memory of the past.

It was both admirable and heart wrenching.

He held out a hand to her face, lightly brushing over the reminder of her pain below her left eye.

"You were alone," he whispered.

"You're not alone anymore."

Murdoc embraced her, holding her tightly. He didn't care what any of the others said at that moment, after all this time he needed to be here for her.

Noodle's arms wrapped around him, basking in a familiar warmth she hadn't felt in so long.

"I know."

* * *

So about that new album...?


	9. Spiritual Poison

**Chapter 9: Spiritual Poison **

**The following chapter contains slightly mature themes.**

**If you visit my profile and go to the link I posted, you'll see a drawing of what Noodle's room looks like in the story, but I suggest you don't spoil the surprise until you actually get to that part! I've been thinking of changing the rating to M, not just because of this chapter, but because of Murdoc in general. Tell me what you think.**

* * *

After they had all finished dinner on the sun deck, Russel left to visit with Big Rick. 2D was allowed to sleep in the Studio instead of the broom closet for the night thanks to Noodle, and Murdoc's first stop on his tour of Plastic Beach with Noodle was leading her to the washroom since she apparently hadn't showered in months. She wanted to get the reek of dead fish and B.O. off of her before she entered her new room.

He waited for her in the hall and fiddled with his new generic smartphone, trying to check _Plastic Beach_'s record sales for the week when he heard the door open from behind.

Noodle emerged refreshingly clean and in fresh garments courtesy of Cyborg's clothing rack.

Murdoc had asked Cyborg to haul the rack from her charging station in the broom closet to the bathroom where Noodle was bathing, though she felt a little bitter about having to wear her rival's clothes. She felt a little better when Murdoc said he saved some of her clothing from Kong, though they were all boxed up along with whatever else he thought was hers in the room she was going to be staying at. It was easier to just wait until he took her there in the meantime, since he knew she wouldn't want Cyborg going through her things anyway.

She wasn't too keen on the military style or the all black Murdoc-esque stuff the collection mainly consisted of, but there was a nice top and a skirt that she found wearable while her only set of clothes were being washed. She didn't mind being barefoot at all since she had been without shoes for so long.

Murdoc gave her a once over and quickly realized she didn't exactly fit her cybernetic counterpart's clothing when he saw how tight it was around her chest, which had to his fancy grown since their days in England.

It was hard for him not to notice since that was usually the first place he looked when meeting a woman.

She certainly was a beautiful woman now, after all.

He did also notice a more mature air about the way she carried herself, but that's not to say she was a typical immature teenager back then either. Really it was quite the opposite. She was more mature than all three of the guys put together and thus people flocked to her more than him when it came to interviews about their second studio album. The press just ate up the fact that she was an intelligently adorable teenage girl who loved the attention only because it selflessly got her message across quicker that the world was turning into a celebrity worshiping pile of shit that needed to be dezombified or something along those lines.

Though she looked slightly uncomfortable at the tightness for a split second, Noodle made no mention of discomfort when she met with him. He saw that she still had the mask, though not over her face. It rested above her head. Maybe she wasn't quite ready to let it go just yet.

As they walked through the corridor to her new abode, she noticed the graffiti on the walls, most of which was in 2D's handwriting telling Murdoc to sod off in some form of obscenity different from the last.

Noodle didn't quite know what to expect from the room he was providing her, as long as it was decent enough to practice her martial arts and meditation in peace.

Hell, who was she kidding? She hadn't done that stuff in years.

All she really wanted was a cigarette and a bed to sleep in past noon.

Maybe even a drink or three.

Though she hadn't had a complete tour of the island, from what she saw that wasn't damaged in the battle was actually pretty decent, not counting the first room the lift was in which she assumed correctly was trashed before the battle. The washroom itself was mildly impressive, considering only men used it. She could assume however he ordered his Cyborg to keep it that way.

Noodle huffed in annoyance at the thought.

Before her mind could get into any further thoughts on the cyborg, she realized they had finally arrived to a plain metal door with a gray wheel she guessed was the handle.

She looked up to Murdoc next to her and saw that he wasn't smiling.

Huh. Like she expected him to be jumping for joy. That was rich. He didn't even look mildly interested, just… indifferent.

To tell you the truth, she was a little nervous standing in front of the doorway to her new room with Murdoc, almost as though he was taking her to her room at Kong for the first time all over again. It was hard for her to tell if she was anxious because she didn't know what to expect or because she would be in a room alone with Murdoc.

He'd been acting…different… since she last knew him.

What was the word?

…concerned for her?

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Maybe it was all in her head. Her brain was after all warped thanks to Hell.

Or maybe he was still in shock of seeing her after so long it threw his whole personality out of whack. It was still the first day of her arrival. Or rather, night.

Her and Murdoc.

Alone…

in a room.

…

At night.

She felt her heart start beating rapidly in her chest as his thin, greenish hands took hold of the dingy, rust covered wheel. She wondered why he was greener, but figured it was just a sign of an aging alcoholic.

Murdoc turned the wheel opening the door and with a flick of the switch, light filled the room revealing a luxuriously spacious area tastefully decorated with Japanese décor, to her shock and amazement.

"'Ere's yer room, luv," he murmured without sounding unduly interested, but he couldn't help but smirk slightly when she explored the area with her mouth agape, occasionally gasping and ooing at every other motif that caught her interest.

Pink and yellow paper lanterns hung from the ceiling beside the studio lights reminiscent of her old room at Kong. Though she saw them from outside, she couldn't help but marvel at the size of the large window with a breathtaking view of the beach that most resorts have exclusively for their VIP rooms. Her attention quickly turned to the bed; a queen sized Asian style wood framed bed with a long box sitting right in the middle, which she found to be a rather strange place to put a box.

Her gaze quickly turned to the bamboo stalks growing from the small ceramic dish in the center of the table to the left of the bed. On the right of the bed stood a tall, paper lamp, and a bamboo room divider. Despite the room being strangely clean, she did notice some more crates similar to the one on her bed on the other end of the room. She presumed it was what little she left at Kong.

"It's so…so…" she trailed off when she noticed the wooden sandals on the ground just like the pair she used to own. "…me," she finished. She couldn't even begin to grasp how he could pull something off like this. Did he really know her that well and she just never noticed?

"Murdoc... did you design this room?" she finally asked, her fingers lightly caressing the leaves of the bonsai tree resting on the kotatsu.

The bassist merely grunted in reply, turning to the wall scroll next to the door away from her. Noodle knew he wasn't the type to flat out say he did it, but she thought maybe this time he would, considering how much he's opened up to her since they were on the patio earlier that day.

Noodle thought for a moment. He must have really expected her to come back if he did all this. Why else would he go to all the trouble?

She walked back to the bed and examined the long, flat box and silently mouthed the words on the side "Ship to Plastic Beach: Point Nemo."

_Point Nemo_, she thought. _That's kind of a cute name. _

"Open it," she heard Murdoc say from behind, his red and black eyes flickering. Noodle turned to him, then back at the box.

Ah, what the hell.

She gripped one of the sides and pulling up on the lid with the other hand until the nails started coming loose. An ordinary person might have needed a crowbar, but the super soldier managed to pull the top off rather effortlessly. She peered inside and her hands dove in through the Styrofoam peanuts until she felt a familiar object.

No.

It couldn't be.

Her mind racing with possibilities and guesses, she carefully lifted the object out and let out a small shriek of excitement causing Murdoc to lose his footing.

"It's my Les Paul!" the young musician cried out. She held the purplish-red guitar up in the air like a trophy and spun around with excitement. It was covered in plastic wrap to prevent water damage, but she yearned to tear it off and pluck at its glorious strings once again.

"The very same," Murdoc smirked with a bit of smugness, thinking back to how much she loved it when he first gave it to her from the music shop in Essex. He reveled in the fact that his gift was one of the only gifts that she loved more out all the others she received that year, so much that she used it to finish up most of her _Demon Days_ tracks.

"Go ahead luv, give it a go," he insisted, the smirk not leaving his face. He could tell she was just itching to feel the vibrations under her fingertips by the way she was clutching it tightly.

Hearing her play was like what he imagined 2D felt when he took his pain medicine, only instead of getting stupider and aloof, he felt himself lusting for her even more.

He needed to hear her play.

God, he craved it like a fucking drug.

But never as much as he craved her.

He watched as she mercilessly tore through the plastic wrap and began frantically tuning the strings as though she had only seconds to live. She was working so fast trying to get the tune right, one of the strings snapped resulting in a gasp from the guitarist and a chuckle from the bassist now standing beside her. She frowned and helplessly looked around the box for another string but didn't see one.

"Oh don't worry 'bout that Noods, play it anyway! We could use a different sound on the new album!"

"But… it won't sound right," she softly whined.

Murdoc looked at her again.

God, she was so fuckin' cute, he almost wanted to throw her on the bed and tear off her clothes with his teeth.

He was pretty grateful one of her super skills wasn't mind reading.

"We'll get another string from the Studio later luv, I've a whole mess 'o them there. Right now, just play whatever you want. Don't think about how it sounds, just play." He didn't want to wait any longer, but damn, that broken string almost ruined the mood.

Noodle attempted a half-hearted smile, moving the guitar strap over her shoulder.

"Hokay…"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, poising her fingers over the strings.

Murdoc anxiously waited to hear what he'd been deprived of for so long.

Noodle sighed softly and began playing.

A soothingly, quiet melody began tentatively filling the room. Murdoc took a seat down on the bed in front of the Japanese guitar prodigy and studied her fingers moving rhythmically, barely making any contact with the strings, his ears soaking up the sweet, yet eerie melody she created.

Sweet Satan, if her playing could arouse anyone, it was him.

She began to play with a little more confidence after a few moments when she realized he was basking in it and, if possible, started pouring more of herself into her performance.

Her eyes peeked over at him with his eyes closed on the bed, completely enveloped in the melody, a notably serene look on his face as though he were meditating. It was a look she'd almost forgotten he could make completely, that she had never seen him make around anyone else.

She was so drawn into the way his face remained, she didn't realize she stopped playing and she herself was completely absorbed with the face of the man she knew for half her lifetime. Surprised that she had stopped, Murdoc opened his eyes and found her staring back at him.

"Funny," Noodle said in a curious tone, "I have a strange sense of déjà vu."

Murdoc gave a devilish smile.

"Figured y' would, since we did this sorta thing all the time back at Kong," he reminded her, with a glint in his ruby eye.

Noodle smiled and nodded. "It was during those times I saw you at your most peaceful, Murdoc."

The Satanist scoffed. "Me? Peaceful? You have me all wrong, girly. I'm nothing like that at all."

Noodle could always tell when he was putting up a tough front. Not that he was very good at hiding it around her.

"I believe you just were," she teased softly. "You don't have to maintain the fake callous attitude around me. I know how you really are."

Murdoc raised an eyebrow.

The girl was giving him permission to be himself… and he was pretty damn sure he knew exactly what she meant by the way her greenish black eyes were toying with him.

He snickered and his lips curled into a fervid smile.

"Oh, do ya, now? And how's that luv?" he purred alluringly, inching closer.

There was something about the way he said those words that caught her totally off guard, yet somehow she felt she was the one pushing him to go on. A slight blush crept over her face and then she felt something that really caught her off guard; a rush of heat... somewhere else.

Somewhere… below.

Noodle suddenly panicked and threw the guitar strap off.

"I, uh… think I should start getting ready for bed soon," she said hurriedly changing the subject. "Thank you for the lovely room, Murdoc," she placed the guitar on the bed and bowed.

Murdoc smoothly made his way in front of her.

"Don't think you're the only one who knows all about me. I know how you are too, luv," he said in a low husky voice, inches from her face. "I can tell when ya want something, but don't really know how ta ask," His arms slithered around her waist and his face moved even closer to hers.

He felt her tense up.

"Murdoc, I… think you are still drunk," she blushed, fishing for any reason in her head he was so close to her, as her heart beat frantically. He swiftly moved right next to her ear.

"S'been hours since m'last drink." His voice was hot against her ear, making her knees relent unexpectedly. "Besides, I know you're as turned on as I am," he growled seductively.

She gasped at his sudden straightforwardness.

"I… ah… I can't Murdoc," she trembled.

"Yesss, you can," he hissed persistently, now nibbling her ear.

"N-no…" she gasped louder, driving him even wilder.

His tongue graced her ear.

"I said, NO!" She forcefully pushed causing him to stumble back.

Murdoc mitigated himself then glared at her, his previous mood now ruined.

"What th' fuck is wrong with you Noodle?" He yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

"Stop with the _come hither_ bullshit if ya don't expect ta go through with it, fer fuck's sake!"

Noodle looked back to him in disbelief.

_Come hither bullshit?_

"Are you fucking serious, Murdoc?" She young guitarist yelled back heatedly. "You never respected women's boundaries with all the groupie fucking you did in the past! How do you expect me to respect you if you cannot even take my feelings into consideration?"

His arm flew to his chest as though he was the victim then he eyed her with suspicion.

"This isn't about Cyborg you is it? Because if it is…"

Noodle scoffed loudly, interrupting. "You just don't get it Murdoc!"

"Then wot?" he said genuinely confused and angry.

"I already told you!" She cried out. "I can't trust you anymore!"

She gasped at her own words and covered her mouth.

Both became silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Murdoc looked at the bedpost and kicked it lightly.

"I'm sorry that slipped," she whispered quietly. She held a fist in front of her mouth and looked at the straw matt below her feet. Murdoc stood for a while, then while sighing, removed his captain's hat and ran a hand through his thick black hair in frustration.

"Spare it. If that's how ya really feel then I guess this is it, eh?"

Noodle didn't say a word while he walked with heavy air to the door and opened it. Before he exited he stopped and turned to her one last time, avoiding her eyes.

"Glad t' have ya back."

The door shut loudly causing her to flinch.

Noodle stared at it with a sense of guilt churning in her stomach.

She tried to tell herself not to feel guilty but it just wasn't working.

Why can't I trust him?

Why can't I let it go?

Her hand subconsciously went up to her mask and she pulled it down.

The twenty year old guitarist sat in the center of her cold bed and hugged her pillow to her knees.

The room was silent other than the natural sound of waves crashing outside.


	10. Picking up the Pieces

Chapter 10:

Waking up with a throbbing migraine wasn't exactly what Murdoc wanted to deal with first thing in the morning, but he pretty much brought it on to himself when he drank almost two bottles of rum right before bedtime. He couldn't even move for an hour after waking up since the slightest movement would cause the room to start violently spinning, so he settled on just lying face down and groaning in his imitation Egyptian Silk sheets.

He couldn't even begin to remember all the shit that went down last night at this point, only bits and pieces thanks to the somewhat desired effects of the alcohol.

All that remained was the look on Noodle's face when she spoke those gut-wrenching words.

No matter how much he drank, that scene played out over and over in his mind.

The scar on her eye was now permanently etched in his mind, the scar that he had a part in creating. There was no way he could trust even himself knowing he was the one who caused it, so of course she wouldn't.

The 45 year old bassist groaned even louder and rolled over, knocking a sombrero and a wizard's hat off his bed to look at the clock on his right.

"Frrrk," his muffled voice murmured against the pillow in reaction to the time. He forced the synapses in his mind to move his tired, gangly green body and bring himself to an upright position, but he immediately clutched his head in regret and slouched forward with a moan.

_What the bloody 'ell am I supposed to do now? _He thought, dismally. He knew she wouldn't simply let last night slide without notice. Seeing her again would result in either another argument, which was the last thing he wanted to deal with, or complete and total awkwardness which would most likely result in him making a fool of himself.

Not that he hadn't already.

In any case, either option wasn't very comforting at all.

Dressed in only briefs, Murdoc slowly rose to his feet and trudged to his closet for something more decent to wear. He decided to skip his usual over-the-top captain's uniforms and go with something more casual this time. His eyes skimmed past the nautical themed clothes and went straight to the dark section. It seemed to be only fitting considering his current mood.

He felt a small twinge of nostalgia when he saw the black shirts and sweaters he used to wear most of the time at Kong, but quickly brushed it off and began pulling a dark gray shirt over his head.

Had he really been in the wrong when he thought she enjoyed his company? He mulled over the question in his mind and concluded that wasn't the case. She couldn't have looked happier about the room he provided her with. Then why did she thwart his "romantic" attempts? It just didn't make sense!

He did feel a little regret at avoiding her earlier question though. Although he had her best interests at heart he couldn't possibly know exactly how Noodle would have wanted her room. He had a general idea, a vague concept somewhat, but really it was Cyborg Noodle that really brought it to life. Of course, if he'd mentioned that, he'd be forced to once again endure another one of Noodle's murderous glares.

He shuttered at the thought.

If only Noodle could get along with her Cyborg counterpart. After all, she was his one and only source of inspiration when he began creating her. He wasn't too surprised things didn't exactly pan out well but he hoped after a hopefully good night's sleep, despite the incident, she'd come around. If not today then someday perhaps.

He stretched a sock over his foot and fitted it with a black Cuban heel, and was about to do the same with the other when he heard a knock on the door. Not accustomed to having visitors to his room he was a bit startled.

Ah crap. That better not be her.

"Er… Come in," he said with uncharacteristic uncertainty.

The door slowly opened and a tall, lanky, blue haired man stepped in. He wore a white shirt tucked into his light gray pants with a small submarine patch on his chest and a red bandana loosely hung around his neck. The younger man also had a cap similar to the one he himself had with a skull and crossbones pendant, only a tad lighter in color.

"Muh-Murdoc? Can I come in…?" he asked peeking in, despite the bassist's earlier response.

An instant wave of relief flooded over him with a slight twinge of annoyance when he realized it was just his singer, 2D and not the guitarist he dreaded confrontation with, ironic since under any other circumstance he would have thrown the hollow-eyed frontman out with a few harsh words.

"Yeh, whatever," he replied impassively.

2D cautiously walked in and shut the door behind him. His eyes scanned around the room curiously, having seen it for the first time only in a magazine article he managed to pick up somewhere. He'd once escaped out of his underwater chamber and made his way there to look for the keys to the Stylo Sub to escape, but the door had been locked, and in anger he trashed the hallway and drew graffiti on the walls near it, something Murdoc made him pay dearly for when he was caught. That seemed so long ago now.

He noticed however before his entrance that the graffiti was still there. The old sod must've been too lazy to clean it up, he supposed.

"Well, what do you want now, brainiac? Out with it." He might as well just get whatever's bothering his singer over with, he had more pressing matters to deal with. "Bad enough I have to deal with not havin' ya locked up, running round free," he mumbled to himself, lighting up a Lucky Lung cigarette.

"I 'ad a talk with Noodle earlier today," he said in his usual cockney accent.

The sudden mention of Noodle's name made Murdoc's face go pale and the cigarette droop from his lip.

It was all over. She told 2D about last night and by now Russel most like knows too and the big guy'll definitely be eager to go through with his own offer of squashing him like a bug.

"She said she 'as some ideas for th' new album, so we worked on a few tracks this mornin' and they're all commin' out real great! You ought ta 'ave a listen,"

Murdoc face shot up to the singer in surprise.

_S-she didn't tell him?_

2D went on, slightly more enthused. "We've been workin' out some new sounds in the studio too, and I showed 'er my iPad an' my Donkatron and she's totally digs it, mate!"

…_Wait_.

"Plus she showed me some stuff on melodica. I didn't even know she played!" The young singer said, astonished.

If she didn't tell the others then maybe she wasn't angry anymore. No, that couldn't be it. Noodle was forgiving, but after last night he doubted she would ever want to look at him in the face again without wanting to fire a tommy gun at him.

"Er…Murdoc? 'Ello?" The blue haired keyboardist waved a hand in front of Murdoc's face.

"Huh? Oh," Murdoc realized he hadn't been listening to a word Stuart said at all and cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes, that's really great 2-Dents, listen mate," he huddled closer to 2D. "She didn't go off mentioning… _anything else_… did she?" he asked rather vaguely.

2D tilted his head and shrugged.

"Nope. Not really. We just talked about music and the likes."

As though a tiny brain cell somehow sparked in the blue haired singer's brain, his face fell to a sullen expression.

"Why? Did somefink 'appen?" he asked suspiciously.

Murdoc looked taken aback. "No, no! Nothing," he answered rather quickly, "just… curious, faceache."

The suspicion on 2D's face quickly vanished and was replaced with a wide toothy grin.

"Oh, okay. Then you'll be alright with coming over ta the studio and 'avin a listen ta wot we've been workin' on so fa'?"

Murdoc knew he had to eventually face the music sometime, in more ways than one, but he'd hoped it wouldn't have been this soon. He didn't want to raise anymore suspicions though so he agreed.

2D smiled again and walked to the door. "Can't wait ta see wot ya fink," he said gleefully. He looked around one more time before shutting the door. "I wish my room wos that nice," he said under his breath as he left.

Murdoc sighed again, realizing his headache had just gotten worse.

* * *

On the other side of the island a large meaty hand plunged itself into the sand and slowly rose itself to the face of the person it belongs to, small streams of orange filtered like waterfalls in between the fingertips.

Russel opened his palm curiously examining the peculiar object that now rested in his massive hand. With a mouthful of air he blew the sand away revealing a thickly bound brown book with the letters _M.A.N._ inscribed on the cover. The giant tried to pry open the novel with two dirty fingernails only to find the book was sealed shut.

Thinking nothing more of the book for the time being but sensing some strange sort of importance to it, he stored it in his oversized shirt pocket and continued rummaging through the garbage above and below the island for useful items to help seal the broken wall of 2D's underwater room.

The drummer inhaled the amount of breath it would take to fill a hot air balloon and dove under the surface into the Styrofoam deep-sea landfill.

* * *

Murdoc pressed the button for the lift and the rusty, grime-encrusted door creaked open. He assumed Dave must have finished repairs on the lift since 2D somehow managed to knock on his door earlier. He wasn't worried about how Noodle acted around him after that, at least that's what he tried to convince himself.

The red and black eyed man sighed before stepping into the lift.

Whatever punishment he imagined she had in store for him would be enough to make even a Satanist queasy knowing her.

The hum of the lift came to an abrupt stop and as the doors slid open, he could hear Noodle's voice in the studio and 2D laughing his idiotic laugh.

A scowl hit the man's face harder than a pelican against a Plexiglas window. Just how long were they together all morning, he wondered.

Wait, was he actually jealous?

_Of 2D of all people?_

He laughed.

That little blue haired twit has more of a chance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize for saving every whale on Earth than winning over his Noodle. He had no competition whatsoever.

He walked past the destruction that was the study and paused with his hand hovering over the door. He heard the faint sound of instruments experimentally clashing to make new sounds and rhythms.

A bead of sweat trickled down his brow as he slowly opened the door...


End file.
